


North By Further North

by Skater2



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-03
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-04 05:36:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 26,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/707137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skater2/pseuds/Skater2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the BAU team travels to Alaska for a case involving a series of murders on a small island, they find themselves confronting some unusual travel challenges as well an atypical group of suspects, and a copycat unsub.  But, who exactly is this unsub copying?  Meanwhile, SSA David Rossi ponders a change in his personal life, while Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner is forced to deal with an unexpected personnel problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First, I would like to apologize in advance to anyone who actually is fortunate enough to live in Alaska. While I have been lucky enough to visit your beautiful state several times, I am by no means an expert. I know I have taken some liberties in geography and have also undoubtedly made some errors in my depection of your lifestyle.
> 
> Next, the usual disclaimers - I have no claim on the characters or background that goes into the show Criminal Minds. If the lawyers don't like my borrowing them for a short time - So be it!

It was a beautiful summer’s morning in July on a lonely beach on Gullwing Island, Alaska. The sun was shinning, and the only person in sight was a young man, dressed in gym shorts and a t-shirt, running down the beach, periodically checking over his left shoulder. A large grey and white cloud, although keeping its distance, seemed to be following him through the stillness. At one point, as the young man stumbled to his knees, the cloud moved closer. However, he quickly got up, and continued running – panicked.

The next time he fell, exhausted, he was unable to get up. Instantly, a flock of seagulls descended upon him and began viciously pecking away. His screams echoed through the emptiness.


	2. Disgusted

In the FBI Building in Quantico, Virginia, SSA David Rossi, dressed in his usual well-tailored navy blazer and jeans, was standing in the middle of Section Chief Erin Strauss’ office, glaring at her.

“So, Erin, you just threw him under the bus! After all his years of hard work and dedication, you decided he was expendable. Or, do you see this as another opportunity to advance your own career?” he questioned, obviously disgusted with her.

“You don’t understand the situation, Dave,” Chief Straus was quick to defend her actions. “I had no choice.”

“Oh, I understand your version of the situation, Erin,” Rossi replied. “And, I don’t like it. You always have a choice.” His cell phone buzzed and he checked the screen. “Now, if you will excuse me, we have a case.”


	3. The Case

David Rossi quickly walked down the hallway and into the boardroom used by the BAU team. As he entered the room, he noted that the other team members were already seated around the conference room table, with their Data Analyst, the always-colorful Penelope Garcia, standing at the front of the room holding the remote control for her computer.

“Okay everybody,” she began. “Get your warm jackets and gloves out and get ready for a trip to the final frontier. We have officially been called in by the Alaska State Troopers to look into a series of murders which have occurred on Gullwing Island, Alaska.”

She put the first picture, a map of Alaska, up on the flat screen.

“For those who are unfamiliar with the area, and that is practically everybody, here is a state map and this,” she moved the pointer to an area just north of the panhandle, “Is where you are headed. As you will notice, this area is not frequented by tourists. Actually, it's not frequented by anybody other than the locals.”

She then called up the first set of crime scene photos and began her narrative.

“Approximately three weeks ago the body of Charley Armstrong, age 65, was discovered at the base of a cliff at Sandy Beach on the east side of the island. At the time it was assumed that, even though he was familiar with the area, he had become disoriented in the dark and had accidentally fallen over the cliff. However, in light of more recent events, his death is being reexamined. The initial police report has been sent to your tablets.”

Blake interrupted, “Not to mention the obvious, but was the body examined for drugs and/or alcohol?”

“It most certainly was,” Garcia assured her. “Neither were found.”

Another set of pictures appeared on the screen.

“Then, approximately two weeks ago, the body of Hunter Black, age 32, was discovered on the ground next to the Russian Orthodox Church in the Village of Treetops,” Garcia continued. “Initially, it was assumed that he had fallen from the roof of the church, although no one could explain why he would have been up there. However, further examination of the body determined that death had been caused by manual strangulation, with the body then being pushed off the roof.”

“You mean that someone strangled him, then hauled the body all the way to the roof of the church, and pushed it off?” Morgan asked, incredulous.

“According to the local police, that appears to be the case,” Garcia assured him. “The autopsy report has been forwarded to your tablets for your reading enjoyment.”

“To do all that would require a lot of upper body strength,” Reid observed. “We are definitely looking for a very fit individual. Do the police have any suspects that fit that criterion?”

“That is part of the problem, my darling genius,” Garcia answered. “In this part of the country practically everyone is physically able to carry their own weight in smoked salmon or bear meat or whatever they eat up there. The local authorities have too many suspects that fit the criteria.”

“As they have called us in, I assume there is more?” JJ asked.

Garcia glanced at her and then glanced back at the board. “Very perceptive of you.”

Another set of pictures appeared. This set included what appeared to be a deserted beach. 

“Exactly one week later, near the Village of Treetops, the body of Dudley Bear, age 23, was discovered on the beach, surrounded by sea gulls, nasty birds,” Garcia continued. “Examination of the area surrounding the body showed that the victim had run down the beach for approximately 1,000 feet before falling and, presumably, being killed by the birds.”

She paused and then added. “The more explicit pictures are on your tablets – Ick!!!”

“Attacks by massive flocks of birds are extremely rare,” Reid observed, examining the pictures. “I assume from these pictures that this was a sizable flock. This isn’t the nesting season, so there has to be another cause for this attack.”

“The local authorities have yet to determine what provoked the attack,” Garcia told him. “Lab reports are pending and they have promised that as soon as they are available, we will have them.”

“Three probable murders, three different victim types, three different methods, and no ties between the victims,” Hotch summarized the situation. “This wouldn’t ordinarily be a reason for us to be consulted. However, as the local authorities rarely see any murders, and this exceeds their annual numbers for accidental deaths, they feel they have a cause for concern. Garcia, as communications are challenging at best in this area you will be coming with us.”

“I don’t know if I have any appropriate clothes packed, Sir,” Garcia explained hesitantly.

Morgan smirked. “Don’t worry, Baby Girl. I’ll see that you're kept warm,” he told her.

“Be still my beating heart! Let me get started packing my equipment.” Garcia quickly scurried back to her office.

“This appears to be a pretty isolated area,” JJ observed, looking at the map. “How will we be getting there?”

“Arrangements are being made for us to take our jet as far as Juneau and then take a float plane to Gullwing Island,” Hotch explained. “Travel across the island itself is difficult, so we will probably be using ATVs owned by the local State Troopers post to access the crime scenes.”

“Float plane? I hope no one is susceptible to motion sickness!” Rossi observed dryly. “And, we have how long to prepare for this trek into the wilderness?”

“I anticipate it will take longer than usual to prepare for this trip.” Hotch replied. “And, be forewarned, we are looking at an unfavorable weather report in the Juneau area. Wheels up in three hours.”

As the team filed out of the room, Blake remained, looking at her file.

“See something?” Hotch asked.

“For some reason, this all sounds familiar,” Blake replied. “But, I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“Well, you’ll have plenty of time to think about it on the plane,” Hotch told her.


	4. Chapter 3

The flight from Quantico to Juneau was relatively calm until the last hour when the plane seemed to develop a mind of its own. According to the pilot, they had encountered a mild storm front, but the team was relieved when they finally landed.

As they made their way into the terminal, two State Troopers approached them. The first one looked at the group and made a guess. “Agent Hotchner?” he addressed Hotch.

“Yes?” Hotch replied.

“I’m Sergeant Vincent Bly of the Alaska State Troopers and this is my associate Officer Sam Edgar,” the officer held out his hand. “Welcome to Alaska. I hope you had a pleasant trip.”

Hotch automatically shook the trooper’s hand, but grimaced as he replied. “Thank you, gentlemen. We had a bit of a rocky trip in here, but we arrived safely. This is the rest of my team, Agents Morgan, Rossi, Blair, and Jareau. Also, Dr. Reid and our Technical Analyst, Ms. Garcia.”

“Well, unfortunately, the bad weather you encountered is going to continue for awhile. Besides the usual rain we experience this time of year, we are also experiencing an unusually strong storm blowing in off the ocean,” Officer Edgar explained. ”We expect all aircraft to be grounded within the next hour, and we have no idea how long it will be before they can get off the ground again. Most likely several days.”

“As Juneau actually sets in a Temperate Rainforest, the precipitation is to be expected,” Reid commented. “The high winds, however, -“

“As you can see, we brought our own meteorologist with us,” Hotch interrupted him. “Are there any arrangements in place to get us to Gullwing Island, or will we have to stay in Juneau until the storm blows through?”

Sergeant Bly smiled. “Actually, there is a way to get you there. But, you will have to rough it,” he warned.

“Define **‘Rough It’** ,” Rossi went right to the point.

“Well, there is a cruise ship in port and it is scheduled to go past the area you need to get to,” Sergeant Bly told him. “They have room on board and are willing to take you. The local State Troopers will send a tender out from Gullwing Island to pick you up as you pass their dock. However, you will still be traveling through part of the storm.”

Morgan smiled happily. “We get to travel by cruise ship - Lead me to it!”


	5. Chapter 4

An hour later the BAU team was standing in the main lobby of the cruise ship, Lady Elizabeth, as Hotch handled the check-in formalities at the front desk. 

“Now, this is my idea of roughing it!” Rossi exclaimed, admiring the decor.

“We are lucky they have room for us,” Blake said. “Even an inside cabin shared by us three women will be a treat compared to some of the places we have stayed.”

“Yeah, but we guys will have to share quarters with the crew,” Morgan pointed out.

“Speak for yourselves,” Rossi told him. “They had a suite available on one of the upper decks, and I took it.”

“You still will have the run of the ship – Plus the food,” JJ pointed out to Morgan and Reid.

“And, I understand they have a premium coffee bar on board,” Reid reported blissfully.

Garcia smiled. “That’s right – Who’s ready for lunch?”

The ship chose that moment to lurch wildly as it pulled away from the dock.

“The troopers did say that we would still have to travel through part of the storm,” Reid reminded everyone as he worked to maintain his balance.

“And the fun begins!” Rossi smirked.


	6. Chapter 5

Several hours later, Reid stumbled through the sliding doors and onto the Lido Deck. “So, this is what it feels like to be seasick,” he thought to himself, analyzing his symptoms.

“Oh No! Dr. Reid,” he heard a woman’s voice. “Come over here and lie down on your back on this lounge chair,” the voice continued.

Dimly, he noted a well-dressed woman and an attractive girl in her mid-twenties sitting next at a table next to the pool. Both were dressed in well-fitted jeans and designer sweaters. His profiler’s mind also noted that while the woman was light complexioned, the girl’s skin tones were similar to Morgan’s sister, Desiree. Her long, black hair gave further proof of her mixed heredity. Just then, the ship gave another shudder.

The woman stood up and motioned him towards a lounge chair next to their table. Reid vaguely noted that she seemed to know his name, but he felt far too sick to wonder about it. He carefully walked in her direction, sat down on the indicated lounge chair, and lay back.

The woman continued her instructions. “Don’t look out the windows and, whatever you do, don’t watch the pool! Just close your eyes and lay still,” she said.

“I thought getting up, moving around, and getting some fresh air would help,” he mumbled in his misery.

“Sorry, that’s not the way it works,” the woman told him. “Don’t worry, your body just needs time to adjust to the motion.”

“Close my eyes?” despite the fact that he felt ill, Reid was curious.

“That way your eyes won’t register any motion, and it will help fool your brain into minimizing the motion you’re experiencing,” she explained. “Just keep focusing on my voice.”

She turned toward the girl, “Lena, will you please run into the restaurant and get some soda crackers? They should help.”

“What about candied ginger, Mom?” the girl asked.

“It’ll take a while to get that,” the woman told her. “You can get the soda crackers right now.”

Lena smiled at her mother and quickly headed towards the door leading into the restaurant.

Reid sensed some new motion in the vicinity, and turned his head to look back at the doorway he had just come through. Garcia was making her way into the pool area, her usually pale complexion having developed a definite green tint.

“I shouldn’t have eaten lunch!” she moaned when she saw him. “Reid, what about you?”

“Twenty-five to thirty percent of all people are susceptible to motion sickness,” he told her. “Common symptoms include – “

“Ms. Garcia, I assume,” the woman interrupted his recitation as she moved quickly to bring another lounge chair over by the table. “Join Dr. Reid in lying on your back, closing your eyes, and relaxing. Try to convince yourself the world isn’t jumping all over the place.”

Garcia moaned again. “Aren’t there pills of some kind for this?” she demanded as she laid down on the lounge.

“There are several things on the market,” the woman told her. “Some are better than others. However, I have discovered that the best course of action is to just let your body adjust to the motion. Unfortunately, that can take several hours.”

The doors slid open again and Morgan came out into the pool area. “Oh No!” he moaned. “This is not the leisurely cruise I had envisioned!”

“Agent Morgan, join us!” it sounded almost as though the woman had been expecting him. “Let me move another lounge chair over here so you can lie down with your colleagues and close your eyes. That should help you adjust.”

“Oh, Sh@%$#!!!” Morgan groaned as he sat down. He suddenly remembered his manners. “Sorry Ma’am!”

He glanced up in the direction of the restaurant. Lena was coming towards them, carrying numerous packages of crackers, which she put on the table.

She took one look at the sickly looking group. “It looks like we’re going to need more crackers,” she decided as she turned and headed back towards the restaurant.

“My Angel of Mercy!” Morgan croaked. “And, I’m too sick to – “ He glanced at the woman. “Oh, Oh!”

“Yeah, my daughter,” she told him, smiling.

Garcia raised her head and looked around. “Okay – Who isn’t here?” she asked.

“Rossi, JJ, Blake, and Hotch,” Reid told her.

“Someone taking my name in vain?” Rossi asked cheerfully as he sauntered out of the restaurant. “You all look like Hell,” he added helpfully.

Morgan groaned, “Why aren’t you sick?”

“I'm Italian. I don't get sick!” Rossi informed him with a smirk.

The woman took the scene in with a practiced glance. “Agent Rossi, I assume? A pleasure, I am sure.”

Rossi looked at her and his smirk turned into a wide smile. “The pleasure is all mine,” he assured her.

Any further conversation was cut short by JJ’s and Blake’s arrival in the pool area.

“We’ve been looking around. This ship is fantastic!” JJ enthused.

“You should see the library! Plus, there is a lounge with the most beautiful view constantly changing outside the windows. I could sit there for hours!” Blake added.

Garcia raised her head slightly. “Please go away, **Please!** "she begged.

“Where is Hotch? Has anyone seen him?” Morgan roused himself long enough to worry about their boss.

“We saw him a little while ago. He was sitting in one of the lounge areas trying to convince himself that he is okay,” JJ smiled at the memory.

Lena came out of the restaurant with another handful of cracker packets.

“Okay, let’s see if this is enough,” she said. “Oh, you must be Agent Jareau and Agent Blake. I’m Lena,” she introduced herself, cheerfully.

“Glad to meet you, Lena. You appear to be an old hand at this,” JJ could appreciate the effort that went into dealing with sick individuals.

“Well, this isn’t our first cruise. I’m kind of used to it,” the young lady admitted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - I finally got to the end of this chapter. Sorry it was so long, but I got involved with analyzing how each of the characters would handle the ship's motion. Hope I got it right.


	7. Chapter 6

As Lena chatted with JJ and Blake about their various travel adventures, her mother continued talking with Rossi, who was obviously enjoying flirting with her.

A crewmember approached the group. “Miss Lena, Miss Amanda, is there anything I can do to help?” he asked, nodding towards Reid, Morgan, and Garcia on their lounge chairs.

“Thank you, Palo,” Amanda told him. “I think we have everything under control for now. I do appreciate your asking, though.”

“Certainly, if you need anything, just let me know,” Paulo told her and smiled as he walked away.

“Are all the crewmembers that helpful?” Rossi inquired.

“Oh yes,” Amanda assured him. “Anything you need, just let them know. They are happy to oblige.”

Amanda turned to look at the lounge chairs. “Dr. Reid, do you think you can make it back to your cabin without embarrassing yourself?” she asked.

Reid gave her a sickly smile. “I’m beginning to think so,” he replied as he carefully stood up. Slowly, he turned towards the door and started walking.

Amanda stood up and put her hand out to stop him. “If you’ll excuse the familiarity,” she said as she tucked several packages of crackers into his shirt pocket.

“Now, when you get back to your cabin, just lay on your back on the bed. Take a nap. When you wake up, try eating the crackers. Okay?” she instructed him.

“That sounds simple enough,” Reid replied. “Are you sure it will work?”

“Your body is going to adjust at its own rate,” Amanda told him. “Just give it a chance. And, if that doesn’t work, ask your room steward to get you some candied ginger. Sometimes that helps.”

Reid continued on his way towards the door. Suddenly, the ship lurched and he staggered. 

"Aldo – Right on cue!” Amanda spoke to a passing crewmember. “Dr. Reid is suffering from a slight case of mal de mer. If you could help him back to his cabin, please.”

Aldo smiled at Amanda. “No problem, Miss Amanda,” he assured her. “Dr. Reid, if you will just allow me – “ Aldo put his arm around and under Reid’s shoulders, and proceeded to lead him toward the elevators.

Amanda next turned to Garcia. “Ms. Garcia?” she asked.

“I want drugs! Just give me drugs!” was Garcia’s reply.

Amanda wrote on a piece of paper and handed it to her. “There are several over-the-counter remedies in the shop on deck four,” she told her. “This one has worked best for me. When you get back to you cabin, call them and they will deliver it to your cabin.”

Blake helped Garcia stand up. “JJ and I will go get it for you,” she offered. “Let’s get you back to the cabin.”

“In the meantime – “ Amanda handed her several packet of crackers.

“You have my everlasting thanks!” Garcia told her. “If I live long enough, I will name my first-born after you. By the way, what is your name?”

Amanda smiled at the trio of women. “Just call me Amanda,” she told them.

“Well, Amanda, I will remember you in my will, which I will be writing just as soon as I get back to my cabin,” Garcia assured her. With that thought, she walked off, supported by both JJ and Blake.

“Well, that leaves you, Agent Morgan. How are you feeling?” Amanda moved on to the remaining seasick member of the BAU team.

Morgan moaned. “I was raised in Chicago, on Lake Michigan,” he told her. “I never got seasick there. How come now?”

“I was raised on the Great Lakes, too,” Amanda told him. “This is a different type of motion. Just take it easy. You’ll get used to it.”

“If you say so, Ma’am,” Morgan replied gratefully. “Let me try to get back to my room.” He stood up and swayed slightly with the ship’s movement.

Amanda smiled. “Crackers?” she offered.

“Don't mind if I do – Thanks!” Morgan accepted the packets of crackers and, moving carefully, left the deck area.


	8. Chapter 7

Amanda turned to David Rossi. “Okay, Agent Rossi, Dave, it appears it’s just you, me, and Lena.”

Rossi was curious. “How come you seem to know us, but we don’t know you?” he asked.

Amanda smiled at him. “You’re the profiler – Profile me,” she challenged him.

“Good, a challenge,” Rossi told her. “Okay – Let’s see – “ 

He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. “You are used to taking care of other people,” he began. “But I don’t think you are a professional nurse. You have obviously cruised before, and you know some of the staff on-board. Maybe from another ship?”

Amanda wasn’t going to give him a break. She just smiled and said, “Keep going!”

“If you are familiar with the crew, it is possible they passed on the information about my team, even though that would be considered unprofessional,” he continued thoughtfully. “Therefore, they must like and trust you.”

Lena gave a derisive snort. “I think I am going to leave,” she declared, as she got up and walked towards the sliding doors.

Rossi turned to watch her go. Then he turned back to Amanda and continued. “Divorced or widowed? I think the latter. Your daughter, Lena - I would guess adopted and from an unfortunate environment,” he said. “Despite her recent exit, she is devoted to you.”

He glanced up and noticed Hotch walking slowly and carefully into the pool area. 

“Dave, where is everyone?” Hotch asked. “We should get started on reviewing the case.”

Amanda stood up and pulled out a chair. “You must be Agent Hotchner,” she said. “Please, come over and sit down.”

Rossi looked at him, concerned. “Aaron, are you feeling okay?”

“I have felt better,” Hotch admitted as he took the chair Amanda had placed for him. “Thank you, Ma’am,” he added courteously.

“Well, it appears that most of the team ‘have felt better’", Rossi informed him. “They are in their cabins lying down. I suggest you do the same.”

Hotch looked at him. “You?” he asked.

“I, apparently, am immune,” Rossi announced, proudly.

“Well, I guess that decides it. We can convene tomorrow morning,” Hotch decided. He stood up. “I guess the best place for me is back in the cabin,” he said as he started back towards the door.

Amanda watched him go and then turned back to Rossi. “Well, are you ready to hear how accurate you have been?” she asked.

“Over dinner,” Rossi suggested. “Do you have plans?”

“Unfortunately,” Amanda regretfully told him. “Lena and I have been invited to dine with the captain this evening. He's an old friend and his wife is joining him for this cruise. Afterward, we are all attending the show in the main theater.”

“My loss, the captain's gain,” Rossi declared gallantly.

“However,” Amanda continued, “After the show - If you are still awake after all your travels - The pianist in the piano bar is very good. And, there is dancing.”

“I think I see a short nap in my future.”


	9. Chapter 8

It was just after 10:00 p.m. and Maria Coleman was tired after a long day of traveling. She had just arrived at Star Lodge on Gullwing Island, checked in, and carried her bags into her cabin. All she wanted to do was wash off the day’s dirt before getting into bed for a good night’s sleep. She was looking forward to the coming week, which she planned to spend exploring the island and studying with a local herbalist.

As she was standing under the spray of hot water, she thought she heard a noise from the bedroom. She quickly disregarded it as being a result from the long day’s travels and the fact that she knew how isolated her cabin was from the others at the resort.

Suddenly, the door to the bathroom flew open and two men rushed in. After pulling back the shower curtain, the leader paused briefly to survey the situation. Then, he pulled out a hunting knife and viciously stabbed her through the heart. The two men then proceeded to wrap her body in the shower curtain, and swiftly carry it away into the night.


	10. Chapter 9

By the next morning, the weather had cleared and the Lady Elizabeth was on course and moving along smoothly. Amanda was enjoying a light breakfast at a table next to the pool when Morgan appeared, carrying a very full plate of food.

“I have always heard about the food on a cruise ship,” he told her. “This looks great!”

“Good morning Agent Morgan” Amanda greeted him cheerfully. “You appear to have recovered nicely!”

“Good morning, Ma'am,” Morgan was unfailingly polite. “And, yes, I am feeling much better! Is it alright if I join you?”

Amanda smiled at him. “Go right ahead. Make yourself at home! And, please, call me Amanda.”

“Yes, Ma’am – I mean Amanda,” Morgan replied as he sat down. “And, it’s Derek, if you don’t mind.”

“Now, I hate to put a damper on your meal, Derek, but are you planning on eating all of that?” Amanda inquired.

Morgan looked at her, puzzled. “Yes???”

“And, when, exactly, will you need to get on a very small boat to travel through some very rough waters, to get to shore?” she followed up her initial question.

“About three hours?” Morgan guessed.

“And, are you planning on contributing to the problem of ocean pollution during your trip to shore?” Amanda couldn’t help herself. She really didn’t want to see the agent get seasick all over again.

Morgan gave her a shocked look as point she was making sunk in. “Oh Shit!!!” he exclaimed, and then he caught himself. “Excuse me, Ma'am – Amanda.”

Amanda laughed as then traded her plate of rolls for his plate of food. “You are excused,” she told him. “Try these instead. Actually,” she continued the conversation, “I wanted to try the Eggs Benedict this morning and you just saved me a trip to the buffet. I should be thanking you!”

Lena, carrying two glasses of juice and followed by a crewmember carrying several plates of food, walked over to the table,.

Morgan looked at her. “You do exist!!” he exclaimed in amazement.

“Excuse me?” Lena was clearly confused. 

“My Angel of Mercy - You do exist!!” Morgan effused.

“Agent Morgan - What are you talking about?” that explanation hadn’t helped Lena much.

“Yesterday afternoon - I was so sick - and you were just so great!” Morgan told her. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciated it!”

“I really didn’t do that much,” Lena told him shyly. “However, you did look kind of green.”

Amanda had been trying not to laugh as she watched the exchange. “Agent Morgan, I’d like you to meet my daughter, Lena,” she decided it was time to intervene.

“Call me Derek,” he told Lena, giving her his patented megawatt smile.

As the crewmember put the plates of food on the table and excused himself, Lana handed one of the glasses of juice to Amanda. Morgan then stood up and pulled out the chair next to him. “Please, join me for breakfast, Lena,” he said gallantly.

The sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the sliding doors announced Reid’s arrival. When he reached the table, however, it was obvious that he was still slightly shaky from his experience the previous afternoon.

Amanda spoke up. “Dr. Reid, please sit down. I hate to say this, but you still look a little green. Not your best color, by the way.”

She stood up to move another chair over, but Morgan waved her back into her seat while he moved the chair over for Reid.

Reid moaned, “I thought this was supposed to go away,” as he carefully took the offered seat.

“Sometimes it needs a little help,” Amanda conceded. She flagged down a passing crewmember. “Do you have any candied ginger around here?” she asked.

The man smiled at her. “Yes, Miss Amanda. I'll get some right away.” He hurried off towards the bar area.

“Sometimes candied ginger helps,” Amanda told Reid. “It is more of a homeopathic remedy.”

Morgan looked at her curiously. “Why didn't you suggest that yesterday?” he asked.

“Some people swear by it,” Amanda told him. “But it doesn't seem to work 100% of the time. Plus, I always think it's better to give your body a chance to heal itself.”

A very cheerful Rossi strolled in and joined them. “Good Morning Everyone!” he caroled. “Lovely morning isn't it, Amanda?”

As he walked over to her and put his hand familiarly on her shoulder, Amanda looked slightly embarrassed by the attention. “Good morning, Dave. You, obviously, are off to a good start today,” she observed smiling up at him.

“The best!” he assured her with a wink.

JJ and Blake, both carrying full plates of food, joined the group and everyone began pushing several of the small tables together to form one big table. Several crewmembers came over to assist, while another came over and handed some candied ginger to Reid.

Reid looked at him gratefully, “Thanks!”


	11. Chapter 10

As everyone found a chair and sat down, JJ looked around and asked, “Where is Garcia? She left the cabin before us.”

“And Hotch?” Blake added.

Morgan glanced around the pool area. “We haven't seen either of them,” he told the women. “Is there a computer center on board? If there is, Garcia probably went there to check in.”

Hotch made a slightly unsteady entrance onto the deck, walked carefully over to the group, and surveyed the table. “Everybody here?” he asked, propping himself up on the back of an empty chair. “Good. We can get started. I have made arrangements for us to use a conference room on the deck below us.”

Morgan gave him a frustrated look. “Hotch, man, we just got settled here!” he told him. “Don't make us pick everything up and move!”

Amanda quickly grasped the situation. “Rather than all of you moving, Lena and I can move to the other side of the deck,” she suggested. “And, Agent Hotchner, you might want to try some of Dr. Reid’s candied ginger.”

As Amanda and Lena began gathering up their plates, Garcia joined the group. “Bad news, people,” she got right to the point. “There apparently was another murder last night. A guest at The Star Lodge, Maria Coleman, was missing at breakfast this morning. When the staff checked her room, they found blood on the walls of the shower, and the shower curtain is missing. Currently, the State Troopers are investigating it as a murder.”

Amanda looked up, “Is her car and $40,000 missing, too?” she asked. “Maybe they had better check the bottom of any nearby ponds.”

Hotch glanced in her direction. “Why would you say that?” he asked her, clearly puzzled.

Amanda looked scandalized. “Aren't any of you fans of old movies?” she asked.

Garcia gasped. “Oh Boy - Of course! The Master –“

“Hitchcock! All of these murders are from his movies,” Rossi was quick to recognize her reference.

Blake looked at Hotch. “Hitchcock - That’s what seemed so familiar about these murders! I knew there was something!”

Reid began recalling the facts. “Alfred Hitchcock,” he began. “Generally considered to be the first master of the horror film genre. He is credited with directing 67 films. Even though some of them are comedies, most of them contain at least one murder. If this unsub is copying him, that means they have at least 67 variations on the general topic of murder to explore.”

Amanda stared at the group. “All these murders?” she repeated, horrified. “How many do you have? You had better hope that whoever it is, they aren't copying ‘ **Strangers On A Train’**. If that’s the case, you'll never catch them!”

Rossi again quickly caught the reference. “Cris-Cross - Oh Boy! We could be in real trouble here!”

Hotch looked around at his team. “Are you sure?”

Garcia nodded, as did Rossi, Reid, and Blake. “Oh Yes!!!” they all echoed. “Hitchcock!”

“Falling off a cliff – **North by Northwest** ,” Garcia told him.

“Falling off the roof of a church – **Vertigo** ,” Reid continued.

“Death by birds – **The Birds** ,” was Blake’s contribution

“And, finally, stabbed in the shower – **Psycho** ,” Rossi finished up.

“Maybe we are looking at some sort of weird fan club dedicated to replicating Hitchock's work in the real world,” Blake suggested.

JJ drew a deep breath. “Garcia, today anyone can access movies anywhere in the world, can't they?” she asked.

“They certainly can,” Garcia confirmed. “Any time, any place - All they need is a satellite dish and a flat screen.”

“And, there's no way we can track who has accessed what movies?” Hotch wanted to confirm that fact.

“Privacy act!” Garcia confirmed. “However, let me think. I may be able to get around that.”

Hotch looked at her. “Do I want to know about that?” he asked.

“Probably not,” Garcia told him.

Amanda looked around at the team members. “I think Lena and I had better move across the deck,” she told them. “I don't think we want to hear this.”

“I suspect you’re right,” Blake told her. “But, thanks for the help!”

Rossi followed along as a crewmember helped Amanda and Lena move to the other side of the deck. After he had helped them settle at another table, he took the chair next to Amanda and picked up her hand.

“We'll be leaving the ship shortly,” he told her, gazing into her eyes. “And, I just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed last night.”

Lena wrinkled up her nose. “ **EWWW!!** I think I need some more breakfast,” she declared as she headed for the buffet.

Amanda laughed at her daughter’s response and then smiled at Rossi. “Me too, Dave,” she told him. “It’s been a long time for me. I'm really sorry you have to go.”

Rossi looked slightly uncertain as he asked. “You have a cell phone? And, an e-mail address? Just like the kids today?”

Amanda didn’t hesitate. “Let me write them down for you.”


	12. Chapter 11

“We need to review victimology,” Hotch declared from his seat at the head of the table.

“All right,” Rossi started, having returned to the group. “This unsub does not seem to have any preference as far as looks, age, or sex is concerned. He also is extremely versatile in his method of killing.”

“And, he isn’t concerned with hiding the bodies,” Reid observed. “He isn’t exactly taunting anyone, he just wants to let everyone know what he has done. And, he definitely isn’t showing any signs of remorse.”

“The ages of the victims is getting progressively younger,” JJ pointed out. “That could mean that he is becoming more confident in his abilities.”

“My guess is that there are actually two unsubs involved,” was Morgan’s opinion. “One person couldn’t have handled everything that was involved with the second murder.”

“Garcia, what have you found out about the victims?” Hotch asked.

“Lots and lots,” Garcia began as she started calling up files she had stored on her computer. “However, very little of it seems relevant to the case.”

“Let’s hear it anyway,” Blake asked.

“Charley Armstrong, our first victim,” Garcia started. “Except for his death certificate, that man does not – did not – exist. No birth certificate, no social security number and, if he attended the school on Gullwing Island, it was before the records were put on computer.”

“Okay – Probably a loner who lived off the grid,” JJ summarized. “If they hadn’t found his body, no one would have realized he was dead.”

“My guess is he probably survived by hunting, fishing, and foraging,” Rossi added.

“Next, is Hunter Black,” Garcia continued. “There is a paper trail for him. He was born on Gullwing Island and attended school there. Spent time in the military, but returned to the island when he was through. He apparently was single and lived off the land as there don’t seem to be any recent records for him, and he doesn’t seem to even have a credit card.”

“Another loner,” Reid commented. 

“Moving on to our third victim, Dudley Bear,” Garcia told the team. “A little more social, so to speak. Again, he was born on the island and attended school there. He did spend several semesters at college in Anchorage. That does not seem to have worked out very well for him, as he withdrew and returned home. He worked on a fishing boat and was on shore leave when he met his unfortunate demise. His parents live on the island, and his father also works on a fishing boat.”

“CouId you find any connection between the three victims?” Blake asked.

“Other than the fact that I suspect everyone on the island knows everyone else, the only thing I can find that they have in common is that they were all males who were born and lived on Gullwing Island,” Garcia told her.

“When we arrive we’ll have to talk to the local authorities and see what they know about any connection between the three,” Hotch told his team.

“And,” he continued, “It might be best if we kept the Hitchcock theory to ourselves. We don’t want to start any rumors that might impede the investigation.”

“Agreed,” Rossi spoke up. “And, now, if we are done here, I think I have a date with a lovely lady.”

As he stood up to leave, Morgan also rose to his feet. “If you don’t mind, My Man, I think I’ll join you,” he told the senior agent.


	13. Chapter 12

An hour and a half later, the cruise ship had arrived at the designated rendezvous point with the local law enforcement officials from Gullwing Island. After their luggage and all of Garcia’s electronic equipment had been loaded onto the tender, the team began disembarking. First to climb down the ship’s ladder were Blake and Rossi, who quickly made themselves comfortable onboard the small boat.

Garcia was supposed to be the next person down the ladder, but there was a slight problem.

“Oh No - I can't do this! Don't make me do this, Hotch! I'm not even dressed for it,” she wailed, as she looked through the open doorway and down at the tender.

Morgan was doing his best to be encouraging. “Baby Girl - I understand – I really do,” he told her patiently. “Just take a deep breath, step through the door, and climb down the ladder. Rossi is waiting to catch you if you slip.”

“Great!” Rossi muttered under his breath. “Just what I need. To get crushed to death underneath a tech analyst and die on a tug boat!”

“A very attractive tech analyst, and I think it is properly called a ‘tender’” Blake pointed out.

“You don't understand. This is **so** not cool!” Garcia continued her diatribe.

As the heated discussion continued, Palo approached the group carrying a heavy cooler. Garcia looked at him appraisingly. “Praise be – It’s a reprieve from the Governor!” she declared.

Palo took a note out of his pocket and consulted it. “Agent Morgan?” he looked around at the group.

Morgan raised his hand. “Yeah. That's me,” he admitted.

Palo smiled and handed him the cooler. “Ms. Amanda sends this with her compliments,” he said. “She hopes that once you and your team are on shore you will all enjoy this lunch she had the chef pack for you.”

Hotch looked at him, dumbfounded. “She had the chef pack us a lunch?”

“Ms. Amanda can be quite persuasive,” Palo informed him, impassively.

Hotch sighed, “I'm getting that impression.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I do truly love Penelope Garcia. However, I just couldn't resist having some fun at her expense this chapter


	14. Chapter 13

After further persuasion, Garcia finally acquiesced to climb down the ship’s ladder. The other members of the BAU team quickly followed, along with the closely guarded cooler. A forty-five minute boat ride over rough seas brought the team to shore. As they stumbled off the tender onto the wharf, the vessel’s captain pointed them towards a log cabin standing about 500 feet from the end of the dock.

“Just walk right in,” he told them. “You’re expected.”

Walking through the door of the remote State Troopers Post, the team found themselves in a large, open room. There were two female officers working at well-worn desks towards the back of the room, with several empty desks scattered about the rest of the open area. A large conference table took up most of the right wall. One of the women looked up, smiled at the team, and then got up and walked to an open door on the back wall.

“Captain,” she called into the office. “Our visitors have arrived.” 

An officer came out of the office and looked them over. His tanned skin spoke of many hours spent out-of-doors and his calloused hands showed that he was used to hard work. Rossi was willing to bet he often personally handled repairs on the department’s equipment.

The officer walked towards the team. “You must be the FBI,” he said. “Agent Hotchner?”

“Yes,” Hotch responded. “That’s me. And, you are?”

“Captain Wright and these are my Deputies Ahronson and Miller,” the man told him, holding out his hand to shake. “Welcome to Alaska! How was your trip?”

Hotch shook hands with him. “Thank you. We’re glad to be here. The trip was rather different from our usual travels, but we arrived safely. This is my Team - Agents Morgan, Jareau, Rossi, and Blake. Behind them we have Dr. Reid, and, last, but definitely not least, our Technical Analyst, Penelope Garcia.”

Captain Wright looked them over appraisingly. “Glad you're here,” he told them. “This situation has us stumped. We have no motive and fewer suspects. I’ve been here nine years, and I’ve never had this many bodies pile up!”

“I understand there was another murder this morning?” Rossi asked.

“Well, we don’t have a body, yet,” Captain Wright told him. “But, yes, we are treating it as a murder. We have everybody out combing the island.”

JJ stepped forward. “Do you have a place for us to set up?” she inquired.

Captain Wright grinned at the blond agent. “As you can see, we have just the basics here,” he told her. “However, Officer Ahronson has cleared that corner for you. If you need anything further, let us know and we will see what we can rustle up.”

JJ glanced over to the left side of the room. “Thanks! That looks great!” she told him as she and Garcia walked to the designated area. 

“Electricity?” was Garcia’s question as she looked about. “I have just about everything else I need for my computers, as long as you have electricity.”

Captain Wright laughed at her concern. “We have our own generator,” he assured her. “So, that shouldn't be a problem. Feel free to plug in anywhere and use as much as you like!”

Morgan glanced around the room. “This is your entire department?” he asked curiously.

“No. We do have a few more people,” Captain Wright explained. “But they are either out directing the volunteers in the search or examining the scene at Star Lodge. We have too few people and too much territory for them to cover, same as everywhere else these days.”

“Volunteers? How many?” Blake was interested in the details.

“Just about everyone in the area,” Captain Wright told her. “We have some good people up here and they want to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible.”

“I’m sure you do,” Hotch told him. “However, if it is alright with you, I would like to send my own people out to get a feel for the situation.”

“Understood,” Captain Wright nodded. “Do what you have to.”

“Okay.” Now that he was certain of local acceptance of his team’s actions, Hotch was all business. “Morgan and Blake, you go out to Star Lodge and see what you can find out there. Rossi, you and JJ check in with the search parties and see what they can tell you. Garcia, do you have everything you need here?”

Garcia looked up from underneath the desk where she was busily hooking up cables. “Oh Yes, Sir!” she replied. “I will be up and bouncing signals off satellites faster than you can spell sputnik!”

Hotch had to smile at her enthusiasm.”Great,” he told her. “We are depending on you! You can begin by gathering information on the most recent victim, and then move on to the inhabitants of the island.”

He then turned to Captain Wright. “Captain, if you have the time, Dr. Reid and I would like to sit down and talk with you to get your thoughts about the situation.”


	15. Chapter 14

Captain Wright grunted. “That sounds about right. Ahronson, please take those two out to the Lodge. Hope you guys don't mind a bumpy ride. Not a lot of paved roads out here.”

Ahronson smiled at Morgan and Blake. “Right this way,” she said as she led them out of the building. “Do you guys know how to handle an ATV?”

“No, but I think I’m about to learn,” Morgan told her. “Is it anything like a motorcycle?”

Rossi took his cue. “The search parties are --- ?“ he asked the Captain.

Captain Wright pointed towards the door. “Out that door, turn right, and follow the trail about half a mile. My guy has everything set up down there,” he told the agents. “Just tell him I sent you.”

Hotch watched as Rossi and JJ left. Then he turned to the Captain. “Pretty isolated up here,” he commented.

“Not as bad as some posts, worse than others,” the Captain told him. “I’m luckier than a lot of State Trooper Posts. I just got two new graduates from the Academy.”

“The Academy? Where is that located?” Reid wanted to learn everything he could about Alaska. “And, were they from this area originally?”

“Sitka,” Captain Wright told him. “Just a bit north of here. And, no, they’re not locals. Ahronson is from the interior. Good woman. Used to rough terrain. Miller, now, she’s a city girl, from Anchorage. She’s learning. The two of them are up on all this fancy, new stuff. Keeping me on my toes.”

Hotch looked at the Captain. “Is there some place where we can sit and talk”? he asked. 

The Captain pointed to a long conference table near the right wall. “Step into our conference room,” he invited the two agents.


	16. Chapter 15

Officer Ahronsohn was obviously delighted at the opportunity to give Morgan a lesson on driving an ATV. 

“It’s Sylvia,” she told them, as she made sure both agents had helmets that fit them. She then demonstrated how to start, stop, and otherwise control the vehicle. Finally, when she was convinced Morgan knew what he was doing; she showed Blake how to situate herself on the back of his vehicle. Then, she led the way as they set off through the woods, following a barely noticeable trail.

When they arrived at the Star Lodge, Officer Ahronsohn skillfully maneuvered her vehicle into a parking space next to the building while Morgan attempted to emulate her.

“That was an interesting ride,” Blake commented as she climbed off the vehicle. “No offence, Morgan, but I think I’ll walk back.”

“I wouldn’t advise it,” Officer Ahronsohn told her. “It may stay light out fairly late this time of the year, but it still gets pretty dark in these woods. If Charley Armstrong could get confused and fall off a cliff, I hate to think what could happen to you.”

“Do you think that’s what happened?” Morgan asked, curiously. “He just got confused?”

“I’m not sure,” Officer Ahronsohn admitted. “I’m new around here and don’t really know the locals that well. But, Charley had lived here all his life. From what I saw, he was a bit of a loner, but he also had a reputation for being a tough old bird. Someone like that isn’t easy to take down.”

“So, an accident makes more sense?” Blake asked.

“Based on what I know, yes,” the officer told her, leading the way around to the front door of the lodge. “But, then there is the issue of Hunter Black, and Dudley Bear, and now this missing tourist woman. About them, I’m not so sure.”

As they entered the lobby of the Star Lodge, Blake looked around curiously. The décor was basic rustic with log walls and a stone fireplace that took center place on the left wall of the lobby. Straight ahead was the check-in desk with a young woman sitting behind it.

“Good Morning Officer Ahronsohn,” she greeted them. “You’re probably the only member of the department who hasn’t been here this morning.”

“’Morning, Nancy,” the officer greeted her. “I was waiting for these people to arrive. Agents Morgan and Blake, this is Nancy Wolf. Her family owns the lodge.”

“Agents,” Nancy held out her hand. “Good to see you. Your first trip to Alaska?”

“I was here a while back, in Franklin,” Morgan told the innkeeper, as he shook hands. 

“It is my first trip,” Blake admitted, as she took her turn shaking hands with the innkeeper. “I’m just sorry it has to be under these circumstances.”

“Me, too,” Nancy agreed. “I’d hate to think you judge us by one weirdo.”

“Is Officer Cutler still out at the cabin?” Sylvia asked.

“Yep - Cabin 12,” Nancy told her. “Just go on back. By the way, will I need to set some rooms aside for you guys?”

Morgan and Blake looked at Sylvia. “Have any arrangements been made for us?” Blake asked.

“Not that I know of,” she said. “Nancy, you had better set aside some rooms – four maybe?” She looked at the agents.

“Sounds about right,” Morgan told her. “Now, the crime scene?”

“Right this way,” Sylvia led them back out the door and into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - I know that State Troopers in Alaska mostly use 4x4's to get around, but I had this mental picture of Morgan on an ATV and I just couldn't resist!


	17. Chapter 16

As Rossi and JJ followed the trail through the woods, JJ turned to Rossi. “And, what’s the story concerning the lovely Amanda?” she asked him.

“Amanda?” Rossi tried to sound innocent.

“Yes, Amanda!” JJ was adamant. “I saw you talking to her yesterday and again this morning. And, I saw the way you look at her. You think she’s something special, don’t you?”

Rossi drew a deep breath. “That’s the trouble with working with profilers,” he complained. “You can’t keep anything to yourself!”

“I promise not to tell,” JJ told him. “But, what is her story?”

Rossi stopped and looked at JJ. “I’m telling you this because we are here in the middle of the woods and I have nowhere to go,” he said sternly. “Any opinions you have, you keep them to yourself.”

“Okay,” JJ put her hands in the air. “No opinions – Promise!”

As two agents resumed walking, Rossi began speaking.

“She is something special,” he admitted. “And, not just because we were thrown together on the same ship. She is a widow. Her late husband suffered some brain damage in an auto accident about ten years ago. She stayed with him and helped him deal with his – issues – despite the fact that he was getting more and more difficult to handle as the years went by. His health began to decline about nine months ago, and he passed away about three months ago. As she said, his body died but, in actuality, he had been gone a long, long time. While he was still relatively social, they spent a lot of time on cruise ships. It was a convenient way to travel in a relatively controlled environment that he could deal with.” 

“She stayed with him for better or for worse,” JJ quoted the wedding vows. “That says something for her.”

Rossi nodded his agreement as he continued. “Lena, as you have probably guessed, is adopted. Amanda worked with her biological aunt. The aunt came to work one day complaining about her drug-addicted niece who had just had another baby and she showed Amanda a picture of the newborn. Amanda claims that the minute she saw that picture, she fell in love. She arranged a private adoption, and within six weeks Lena was formally hers.”

“She took quite a chance,” JJ observed. “The child could have sustained serious brain or neurological damage from the mother’s drug use, which wouldn’t have become obvious for several years.”

“Yes, she did,” Rossi agreed. “But, Lena is just fine. She does know her biological family, but her mother is Amanda and she is seriously devoted to her.”

The agents heard the search parties before they saw them. As they rounded a curve in the trail, they observed a clearing with several ATVs parked in it. Some tables had been set up with maps laid out on them. An officer in a State Trooper’s uniform was examining the maps, and speaking into a walkie-talkie. Another man, not in uniform, appeared to be assisting him. The officer looked up as Rossi and JJ approached.

“David Rossi, FBI,” Rossi held up his identification.

“Jenifer Jareau,” JJ held up her credentials. “Captain Wright sent us.”

“Glad to see you. We heard you had been called in,” the officer told them, holding out his hand to shake. “I’m Sergeant Moore and this is Ben Elkhorn, he’s one of the tribal elders. We’ve been coordinating the search parties looking for Maria Coleman.”

“You look really organized,” JJ commented as she shook his hand. “Do you do much of this type of thing?”

“More than we would like,” Sergeant Moore responded. “Every couple of months some newcomer goes out into the woods and gets lost. If we are lucky we’ll get to them before the bears do.”

“You have bears around here?” JJ sounded shaken.

“This time of the year they aren’t particularly dangerous,” Ben assured her. “As long as you don’t get between a sow and its cub.”

“Explain to me how you have this organized,” Rossi asked, looking at the maps. “You have how many teams out looking?”

As the officer and the tribal elder launched into a detailed explanation, JJ continued to uneasily survey the trees surrounding them.


	18. Chapter 17

At the Trooper’s Post, Captain Wright was sitting at the conference table with Hotch and Reid. Looking at the agents, he asked, “First time in Alaska?”

“No,” Hotch told him. “We were in Franklin a while back. Also, Reid here recently did a consult for a case in Kodiak. Fortunately, in both instances we were able to locate the unsub fairly quickly.”

“You know the people around here,” he continued. “What do you think is going on?”

“I honestly don’t know,” the Captain responded. “All the time I have been out here this has been a quiet little island. A couple of drunks now and then. A couple of unfortunate suicides. Now, this.”

“What are the people around here saying?” Reid asked. “Do they have any ideas?”

“All kinds of ideas,” the Captain looked at the young agent. “No solid evidence that I can find.”

“Often, rumors do carry a grain of truth,” Hotch said. “You just need to be selective of what you believe. Why don’t you tell us what people are saying?”

“One thing you need to understand,” Captain Wright began his explanation. “Many of the people here have lived on this island for generations. They tend to cling to the same beliefs as their fathers and grandfathers.”

“Like old superstitions,” Reid suggested.

“Well, something like that,” the Captain agreed. “Some of the older people retain their belief in Shamanism.”

“There is a Shaman on the island?” Hotch asked.

“A descendent of one,” the Captain clarified. “More precisely, the granddaughter of the last tribal Shaman. She traveled and attended classes in the lower 48 for several years before coming back here to live. Basically, she is an herbalist, and a good one, too. I’ve consulted her, myself.”

“Shamanism generally is a healing tradition,” Reid commented. “These deaths don’t reflect that.”

“There are also evil Shamans,” the Captain reminded him. “And, while Isabella doesn’t refer to her ‘animal guide’ or any such otherworldly religious fixture, people do see her wandering through the woods at strange times of the day and night. It tends to lend credibility to the rumors.”

“There is the belief that some plants need to be collected during specific phases of the moon and/or in the moonlight,” Reid explained. “So, that would explain the nighttime wandering. What, exactly, does she treat?”

“Just the basics,” the Captain explained. “Headaches, sinus congestion, skin conditions. She made up a poultice for a rash I had about a year ago. It really worked!”

“Nothing like casting spells or evil wishing?” Hotch asked.

“Not that I ever heard of,” the Captain told him. “Although, having only lived here nine years, I am still considered an outsider. So, there might be something going on that I’m not privy to.”

“We will need to speak with her,” Hotch decided. “If nothing else, she might be able to give us a feeling for the lifestyles of the first three victims. Does she live far from here?”

“Not really,” the Captain said. “Nothing on this island is far from anything else. But, I had better get one of my officers to take you. We don’t need you getting lost in these woods!”

“If you are looking for insight into the local people,” the Captain continued. “There is one other person you might want to talk to.”

“And that is?” Hotch asked.

“Our local Russian Orthodox Priest, Father Michael Fedorova,” the Captain told him. “Father Michael counsels members of his congregation, as well as running the local addiction recovery group.”

“If I remember, the church is located actually in the Village of Treetop,” Hotch recalled. “We were planning to take a look at it. I understand it was the scene of the second murder.”

“What about the victims?” Reid asked. “Do you know of any ties they might have had to each other or anything in their background that would cause them to be victimized like this?”

“The only thing they have in common is that they are all males who were born and raised on the island,” the Captain told them. “They undoubtedly crossed paths from time to time, everyone here does, but other than that there is nothing that I know about.”

“Well, we need to talk to some of the locals, starting with the granddaughter and the priest,” Hotch told him.

“What if we do that after lunch?” Reid suggested. “I think I hear Rossi and JJ returning, and my guess is that Morgan and Blake won’t be far behind.”


	19. Chapter 18

Rossi and JJ returned from their visit with the search party organizers, full of admiration for the group and their ability to navigate the difficult wooded terrain.

“How is the search progressing?” Hotch inquired.

“They haven’t found anything, yet.” Rossi reported. “But, they seem to have everything organized and under control.”

“Apparently, they have a lot of experience doing searches like this,” JJ told him. “They really don’t need our interference. Plus, I’m ready for lunch!”

“Where are Blake and Morgan?” Garcia had parked her computer for the moment. “We have the lunch the chef on the cruise ship packed, but I hate to start without them.”

“Can you call them?” Hotch asked. 

As Garcia pulled out her cell phone, Captain Wright began shaking his head. “Those gadgets don’t work too well up here,” he told her. “Let me call the Lodge on the land line. I should be able to get through.”

“You have a telephone system on the island?” JJ asked.

“A rather basic one,” the Captain told her as he walked over to the nearest desk. “It works okay during the summer months, but once the wind and the snow start, it’s anyone’s guess.”

Before the Captain could complete his call, they heard the two ATVs pulling up outside the building. Morgan and Blake soon came through the door, carrying their helmets, with Officer Ahronsohn close behind.

“You did a really good job for not having ridden before,” the officer congratulated Morgan. 

“I would have done better if there have been a decent trail!” Morgan complained. “I nearly tipped over several times!”

“And, I definitely wouldn’t have this numb rear end,” Blake added with a laugh. “Where should I put this?” she indicated the helmet.

“Let me take them,” Officer Ahronsohn replied as she took both Blake’s and Morgan’s helmets and went to store them in a metal cabinet standing in the corner.

“Okay, everyone is here,” Hotch said. “How about lunch?”

“Well, I’ll just excuse myself,” Captain Wright told the team. “I brought something from home.” 

“Don’t you even think of it!” Garcia spoke up. “I checked what is in the cooler we brought from the ship, and there is enough food in there to feed an army! You and your two officers have got to join us for lunch or all that food will go to waste!”

The two junior officers looked at their Captain for guidance. “Can’t let that happen!” he declared. “We’d be happy to join you. Let’s get everything set up on our all-purpose conference table.”


	20. Chapte 19

It didn’t take long for Morgan and Garcia to unpack the cooler and distribute the food and drinks. The chef had indeed sent enough food for a small army, and had even included multiple slices of cake and some brownies for dessert. 

“How on earth did you ever get the chef to pack this for you?” Captain Wright asked once everyone had settled down to eat. 

JJ smiled at Rossi. “I guess it just depends on who you know,” she commented. 

“What did the two of you discover at Star Lodge?” Hotch asked, starting the review of the case. 

“Just what we expected,” Morgan told him. “Not much.” 

“Your officers have done a good job of securing the scene,” he confirmed to the Captain. “It looks like Ms. Coleman had just arrived and hadn’t even had a chance to unpack. She just went directly into the shower. There really isn’t anything there for us to find.”

“Whoever this is, they are very organized,” Blake opinioned. “Quick in and quick out with no trace evidence left behind. Although, I somehow get the feeling that there is more than one person involved.”

“Because they managed to overcome an adult female, apparently with no problem?” Rossi suggested.

“That, and what happened at the church,” Blake agreed. “That definitely would have taken two people.”

“In addition, in this last attack, they moved the body a considerable distance,” JJ observed. “Not just out of the room but, from what the search parties can tell, out of the immediate area. One very strong person might be able to do it, but that seems highly unlikely.”

“Two people can keep a secret only if one of them is dead,” Officer Miller quoted. 

“You’re right,” Rossi told her. “Which means that we need to start talking with the local people before you have another murder on your hands.”

“What else do we know about the unsub?” Hotch felt it was time to start building the profile.

“It’s most likely a male, between the ages of 25 and 35,” Morgan started. “In very good physical shape.”

“He exercises an extreme amount of self-control,” Reid contributed. “This is in addition to his being extremely organized. These traits probably carry over into his everyday life.” 

“He comes across as being trustworthy, probably even friendly,” JJ said thoughtfully. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get close enough to his victims to abduct them.”

“He is extremely self-assured, almost to the point of arrogance,” Rossi added. “In dealing with other people, it would be a case of ‘my way or the highway’.” 

“If there is a partner, it is probably a dominant/submissive relationship,” Blake observed. “I can’t see this as being a mentor/mentee arrangement.”

“I think it’s time we went out and talked with the locals,” Rossi opinioned.

“You’re right,” Hotch agreed with his senior agent. “Everyone can get started once we have finished with lunch. Garcia, I’d like you to get with Blake and Morgan and go over what you have found on Isabella, the Shaman’s granddaughter. Then, they can go talk with her. Rossi, I’d like you and JJ to speak with the Russian Orthodox Priest, Father Michael Fedorova. See what he can tell you, without violating any confidences, of course.”

“Hotch,” Reid spoke up. “If it’s okay with you, I would like to speak with the priest.”

“Because?” Hotch asked, surprised.

“As I understand it, he sponsors the addiction recovery group on the island,” Reid spoke softly. “And, I think I may be able to relate a little better.”

“Good point,” Hotch agreed. “JJ, you can come with me to talk with Dudley Bear’s family.”

“One more thing, Hotch” Morgan spoke up. “While Blake and I were at the Star Lodge, we booked four rooms for us for tonight. Apparently, it is the only place to stay on the island, and they are pretty full during the summer months.”

“Smart move,” Captain Wright told him. “Let me see about getting your bags loaded onto a truck, and then I can get someone to drive them over for you.”


	21. Chapter 20

The rest of the lunch was spent exchanging stories of past law enforcement experiences, both by the BAU and by Captain Wright. Many of his experiences during his tenure on Gullwing Island were unique to the remote locale. 

“As remote as you are, how do you rate two new officers?” Morgan asked curiously.

“I must do a good job training them,” Captain Wright replied. “I get at least one rookie just about every graduating class. And, then, just when I get them trained, off they go to bigger and better things.”

“Must get depressing,” Rossi observed. 

“You adjust,” was the Captain’s brief reply.

After Rossi and Reid had departed for the village, taking Officer Miller with them as their guide, Garcia carried her dessert and drink over to the corner where her computer was set up. As she began keyboarding, Morgan came over and sat down next to her.

“Okay, Baby Girl, let’s power this thing up so you can work your magic,” he said.

“If magic is what you want, magic is what you are going to get,” Garcia promised him as facts and figures began scrolling across her screen.

As she waited for the information to settle into a recognizable pattern, Hotch walked over. “Garcia, do you have everything you need?” he asked.

“Yes, Oh Great Leader of Us All,” she announced with a smile.

Hotch looked a little discombobulated by her comment. He shrugged and looked at Captain Wright. “She doesn’t get out much,” he explained.

“And, yes, she did pass her last drug test,” JJ added helpfully.

“Well, if you’re all set, JJ and I are going to leave to visit with Dudley Bear’s mother,” Hotch told the tech. “We shouldn’t be gone long.”

Captain Wright followed the two agents to the door. “Down that road to the left,” he told them, pointing. “It’s about a mile, on your right. And, please, make sure you stay on the road! We already have one search going on.”

“Okay, here we go,” Garcia announced from her corner as the lines of data settled onto her computer screen.

“Isabella Dorak,” Blake had come over and was reading over Garcia’s shoulder. “Born here, on the island, and went to school here. Graduated from high school and went on to attend a university in Washington State where her major was botany. That all fits.”

“After she graduated, she apparently moved to California where she spent some time working on an herb farm,” Morgan continued reading. “Then, apparently, she went to Asia for 18 months. I would guess she was studying with an herbalist or two over there. Moved back here about three years ago and took up residence in her grandfather’s place.”

“No criminal record, although that doesn’t mean that she isn’t smoking the herbs, as well as growing them,” Garcia was nothing if not a realist. 

She moved on to searching for family records. “It appears her father was killed by a bear while she was in college, and her mother died of cancer about a year ago.” 

“Well, I think we have the basic facts,” Morgan stood up and looked at Blake. “Want to take a walk in the woods?”

“It’s a bit of a hike,” Officer Ahronsohn joined them. “Let’s get the helmets, and I’ll take you.” She looked at Blake. “This time you can ride with me,” she told the obviously apprehensive agent.

When they arrived at Isabella’s house, Blake had to admit that riding with Sylvia Ahronsohn was just as bumpy as riding with Morgan. After getting off the ATV, she still had to bend over and stretch her sore muscles.

“It does take some getting used to,” the officer admitted. “I much prefer the snow machines we use in the winter months.”

“No dog sleds?” Morgan asked, hopefully.

“Sorry, no,” the officer told him. “The terrain on the island is far too rough. Plus, the cost of feeding all those dogs is way beyond our budget.”

Blake surveyed the building in front of them. Apparently, it had started out as a basic log cabin, but as time went on and more room was needed, it had been added on to again and again. The resulting moss-covered building seemed to fit perfectly into the tree-filled background.

“Well, do we knock or what?” Morgan was unsure of the proper protocol in this rustic setting.

“We knock,” Officer Ahronsohn told him. “And, if there is no response, we go look around back.” 

Blake knocked and they waited.


	22. Chapter 21

As Rossi and Reid walked through the woods with Officer Miller, she noticed Reid looking around curiously.

“Not used to the woods?” Officer Miller guessed.

“I’m originally from Las Vegas,” Reid told her. “The desert is more my native milieu.”

“A rain forest like this does take some getting used to,” the officer admitted. “This particular area is mostly Sitka spruce. If you use some common sense, you’ll be just fine.”

“What is Father Michael like?” Rossi asked the young officer. “How long has he been here on the island?”

“Concerned and caring,” was the quick reply. “From what I know, he’s been here at least ten years. He is deeply concerned about the people who live here, and that includes all the people, not just the ones in his congregation. He does leave periodically to go to conferences and on vacations, but he always comes back. The locals think the world of him - He’s done a lot of good here on the island.”

As they approached the village, Officer Miller veered off onto a path that led to the right. Shortly, the trio was standing in a large clearing in front of an unexpectedly ornate Russian Orthodox Church, complete with cemetery.

“Pretty fancy for such a small place,” Rossi commented.

“As I understand it, the construction has been ongoing for many years,” Officer Miller told him. “This is definitely a labor of love for the congregation.”

Reid began circling the church. “Where exactly was the body found?” he asked.

“Right about here,” Officer Miller pointed to a spot on the ground. 

“That’s about 20 feet out from the church,” Reid observed. “The body most likely was rolled off the roof, not pushed.”

“How did it get up there in the first place?” Rossi asked, craning his neck to look up at the roof.

“There is a stairway up to the bell tower,” a husky voice came from behind them. The agents and Officer Miller turned to see a large, dark-haired man dressed in a black cassock with a full beard. “Whoever did this must have used that. However, he left no trace of his evil deed.”

“Father Michael!” Officer Miller greeted him warmly. “How are you today?”

“Excellent, my daughter. Just excellent,” he told her. Then he turned to the agents. “Father Michael Fedorova,” he introduced himself, holding his hand out to shake. “I’ve been expecting you!”

“Father,” Rossi shook hands. “Good to meet you. I’m SSA David Rossi and this is my associate, Dr. Reid.” 

Reid hesitated slightly before offering his hand to the priest. He was surprised to find that instead of the iron grip that had greeted Rossi, he received a soft, slight squeeze. 

“Doctor?” the priest asked, looking at him curiously.

“PhD’s,” Reid admitted, shyly. “Actually, three of them.”

“So much knowledge in such a young head,” the man marveled. “You must be careful what you do with it!”

Rossi looked at the older man. “There was no damage to the staircase or to the roof?” he asked.

“Nothing,” the priest replied. “After the troopers had examined the stairs and tower, I checked it out myself. Whoever did this must have been extremely strong.”

“And, they must have known the church,” Reid pointed out. “Either as a member of the congregation or as a member of the construction crew who worked on the building.”

“In many cases, they are one and the same,” Father Michael told him. 

“We need to discuss this unfortunate situation in comfort,” the priest declared. “Come – We can go into my study and you can make yourselves at home.”

Officer Miller looked at the two agents. “I need to make some stops in the village,” she told them. “When you are done, just ask anyone. They can tell you where I am.” She walked off in the direction of a small group of buildings.

As the priest watched her go he commented, “That young lady has a hard road ahead of her, trying to make her way in a man’s profession. She sometimes feels alone. She’s strong, though. She’ll make it.”

The Father’s house proved to be a small cottage on the far side of the cemetery. As three men approached, the door flew opened revealing a grey-haired woman about half Father Michael’s size. 

“Welcome,” she proclaimed hardily. “I’ve been expecting you!”

“My wife, Olga,” Father Michael introduced her. “My dear, we have here Agent Rossi and Dr. Reid.”

“Gentlemen – Come In – Come In!” she replied, beckoning them through the doorway. 

Once they were all inside, she turned to her husband. “You’ll be using your study, of course?” she asked.

“Of course,” the priest agreed.

“I’ll have the coffee down there in just a minute,” Olga promised. “Also, some fresh baked cookies.”

“Don’t go to any trouble,” Rossi hastened to tell her, already knowing her response.

“No problem – No problem!” Olga bustled off down the hallway.

“My wife, she likes to cook,” Father Michael told them as he led the way to a sunny room at the back of the house. “Thank goodness she’s very good at it!”

Olga quickly delivered the promised refreshments, and the three men settled down to discuss village life with all its ramifications.


	23. Chapter 22

As Morgan and Blake waited at Isabella’s front door, they realized that they could hear the sound of wood being chopped, and that it was coming from behind the building. Following Sylvia, they made their way around to the back, and were soon looking at a large, well-tended garden.

“Looks like someone’s put in a lot of work out here,” Blake commented.

“Most of the people on the island have gardens,” Officer Ahronsohn explained. “Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive when they are brought over from the mainland.”

“And, they don’t taste as good,” a voice from behind them said.

The trio turned to see a slight woman, obviously of indigenous heredity. She smiled as she held her hand out.

“Isabella Dorak,” she introduced herself. “You must be the people from the FBI. I’ve been expecting you.”

“Agents Morgan and Blake,” Morgan quickly captured her hand and smiled at her.

“You’ve been expecting us?” Blake inquired.

“Of course!” Isabella responded, reclaiming her hand from Morgan. “After all, I am the resident witch hereabouts!”

“Is that the way you see yourself?” Morgan asked.

 **“No – Definitely not!”** Isabella told him. “But, with my heredity and my profession, the rumors are going to fly. It can’t be helped.”

“Why don’t you come inside?” she continued. “I can show you around my lair, and then we can have some herb tea and cookies while we talk.”

As they went through the doorway, Isabella looked up at Morgan. “You might want to watch your head,” she suggested. “This house was built by my ancestors, and they were considerably shorter than today’s people.”

“You’re family has lived here for a period of time?” Blake asked.

“According to legend, since the beginning of time,” Isabella told her.

“So, you know everyone?” Blake followed up.

“Oh, yes!” Isabella assured her. “And, I’m also related to almost all of them!”

The room they entered was a sizeable kitchen. Blake noticed a wood burning stove, along with a sink complete with water pump. A huge, well-worn table took up space in the center of the room, while several small windows provided natural light.

“I’ll just make myself at home here,” Officer Ahronsohn told them as she pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. “You can take the grand tour and ask your questions. I’ll stay out of your way.”

“If I put the kettle on, you’ll watch it?” Isabella asked her.

“No problem,” the officer assured her.

Blake and Morgan watched with interest as the herbalist hand-pumped water into an old-fashioned teakettle and put it on the stove. After checking the fire, she turned and motioned them to follow her through a door she opened at the left side of the room.

The room she led them into appeared to be a drying shed. Blake was immediately reminded of a tobacco drying area she had gone into during a previous investigation. The hot, dry air had seemed foreign then and here, in Alaska, it seemed particularly out of place.

Morgan looked around at the various plant parts hanging from the ceiling and laying out on the drying tables. “What, exactly do you have here?” he asked. “And, how do you tell them all apart?”

“Well, I have the usual healing herbs,” Isabella began. “Things like foxglove, and willow bark, and dandelion. I also have cooking herbs like dill, sage, and thyme.”

“Telling them apart is easy,” she continued. “Some have very distinctive smells or textures. Others, I can tell by the shape and/or size of the leaves. Others, I can’t explain it, but I just know.”

“You use all these?” Blake asked, craning her neck to look up into the rafters.

“Most of them,” the herbalist told her. “Others, I sell, either to local customers or mail order.”

“Local customers?” Morgan questioned.

“You’re staying at the Star Lodge, right?” Isabella asked. “Well, whatever they are serving for dinner tonight will most likely be seasoned with some of my stock.”

“Other than for food, do these have any uses?” Blake was looking at some labeled apothecary jars on shelves.

“Medicines,” Isabella told her. “Willow bark, for instance, is good if you have a fever, and foxglove is good for some heart ailments.”

“Is any of this stuff poisonous?” Morgan got to the point.

“Anything can be dangerous if it is misused,” Isabella pointed out. “I understand you can actually kill yourself if you drink too much water. Common sense is a great thing to have. “

“And, before you ask,” she continued. “ **NO** , I do not make love potions or talismans, nor do I cast spells!”

“Thanks for clearing that up!” Blake smiled. “Out of curiosity, though, has anyone asked you lately to make up any potentially dangerous mixtures?”

“No,” the herbalist told her. “And, if they had, I would have refused.”

Isabella led the way out of the herb room and proceeded to give the agents a quick tour of the rest of the house. Blake admired the weatherproof design and construction, while Morgan wondered how anyone could live without electricity.

Soon the agents and Officer Ahronsohn were sitting around the kitchen table enjoying herb tea and some surprisingly good cookies.

“These are sweetened with honey?” Blake asked, indicating the cookies.

“Oh, yes,” Isabella told her. “I gathered it myself from a hive not too far from here.”

“You’ve lived in the lower forty-eight?” Morgan was curious.

“Yes, but I was glad to come home,” she told him.

“Anything in particular you miss from down below?” he followed up his question.

“Well, the Internet,” Isabella confessed. “I would like to set up a website to sell on-line, but with service so intermittent, it’s kind of hard to do.”

“No one on the island has really dependable Internet service,” Officer Ahronsohn told the agents. “I miss it because I used to be able to watch my favorite TV programs on-line.”

“Movies, too?” Blake asked.

“Sometimes,” the officer admitted. “But, I am much more a TV-type personality.”

With that, the discussion turned to remembrances of TV programs everyone had watched growing up, and their merits versus the current offerings.

As the agents prepared to leave, Blake sensed the Isabella was debating about whether to tell the agents something.

“Why don’t you guys go look at the garden?” she suggested to Morgan and Officer Ahronsohn. “I’ll be along in a minute.”

After the two had wandered off Isabella turned to Blake. “Thank you,” she said. “There is one thing I really should tell you.”

“Yes?” Blake questioned.

“I said I don’t make up talismans or potions or anything like that,” she began. “And, that is true. But, on occasion, I do pick up ‘feelings’ about certain people.”

“And who would that be?” Blake asked.

“Captain Wright,” the herbalist said, to Blake’s surprise. “He’s very unsettled in his mind, but I can’t get a reading on why. Maybe you can find out.”


	24. Chapter 23

After sampling and complimenting the refreshments, Rossi turned to Father Michael. “We aren’t asking you to violate any confidences,” he began. “But, you have to understand that we are looking for a dangerous killer here. And, I can assure you that anything you tell us will be held in strictest confidence.”

The priest crossed himself. “Then, these deaths definitely weren’t accidents?” he asked. 

“Considering the number of accident-related deaths on this island in the past few years, and comparing it to the number of deaths within the past month, I think we are safe in saying, ‘No,’” Reid told him. “There is a possibility that it may be an isolated cluster, but – “

“Okay, I think he gets the picture,” Rossi interrupted. “Father?”

The priest looked at the agents. “Well, there is one thing,” he began. “And it is probably going to sound strange.”

“That is?” Rossi asked.

The priest looked uncomfortable. “These murders remind me of plots from Hitchcock movies,” he confessed. “I remember seeing them during movie nights at our village while I was growing up. About once a month a movie would be brought in and shown in the gymnasium of the local school.”

“So, anyone growing up in Alaska might have seen Hitchcock’s movies when they were shown locally?” Reid summarized.

“Yes,” the priest told him. “I understand the practice was quite widespread.”

There was a knock at the front door, and the agents heard Olga hurry to answer it. An agitated conversation followed and, after closing the door, Olga came straight to the study.

“They found her!” she declared. “The tourist woman – They found her body. The searchers are bringing it in now.”

“They moved the body?” Rossi asked, surprised.

“Don’t blame them,” the priest hurried to defend his congregation. “Between the coming night and the marauding wildlife, they probably didn’t have much choice.”

“They most likely took pictures,” Reid assumed.

“Unfortunately, we will need to speak with the coroner and check the body for any evidence the unsub may have left behind,” Rossi told the priest. “Where will they be taking it?”

“The community health center,” the priest responded. “That’s where the local doctor is. He is also our coroner. It’s easy to find, it’s the largest building in the village.”

As Rossi stood up to leave, Reid cleared his throat. “Dave, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay and talk with Father Michael for a while,” he told the other agent

Rossi looked at the young agent and seemed to understand. “Okay,” he told him. “Join me when you can. And, Father – Please don’t mention the Hitchcock movie connection to anyone. It may be something we can use.”

After Rossi had left the room, Father Michael turned to Reid. “Yes, my child?”

Reid looked at Father Michael and drew a deep breath. “I understand you are also trained as a substance abuse counselor,” it was almost a question.

“Yes, that’s standard up here,” Father Michael told him. “So many of our people live in small villages with limited access to any kind of mental health care that we priests are trained to fill in.”

“So, anything we discuss will be held in confidence?” Reid questioned.

“Of course, Dr. Reid,” the priest assured him. “You have something you would like to talk about?”

Reid took a deep breath. “Several years ago,” he began, “I was taken hostage by an unsub, a bad guy, who was actually a split father/son personality. In order to help me deal with the torture the father was inflicting on me, the son began giving me some of his Dilaudid. I ended up addicted. Since then, I have been fighting my own demons. They are not of my making, but they are put on my back by the various situations I face related to my job.”

Father Michael looked at him sadly. “You see more evil in one week than I will probably see in my entire lifetime,” he told the young agent. “It is going to take a toll on you. You are dealing with it?”

"I attend meetings, not on a regular basis, but I try to get there at least once a month,” Reid told the priest. “It helps to talk.”

Father Michael nodded his understanding. “But, now, today?” he asked.

Reid replied quietly, “I need to talk – “


	25. Chapter 24

As Hotch and JJ followed the one-lane, gravel road through the woods, JJ kept glancing around nervously.

Hotch couldn’t help but notice. “Looking for something?” he asked the blond agent.

“Hotch, do you know there are bears around here?” JJ sounded worried.

“I assume they are about as anxious to see us as we are to see them,” Hotch replied.

“And, I don’t like the woods!!” JJ added emphatically.

“JJ, everyone is afraid of something,” Hotch told her kindly. “You just need to learn to develop a coping technique to help you deal with it.”

“Well, maybe I can try picturing the bears naked,” JJ tried an old joke.

“That’s a start,” Hotch agreed, giving her one of his rare smiles.

The small, tidy house was located at the edge of the village. As Hotch and JJ stood looking at it from the road, they noticed the curtain in the front room window moving. Then, the front door opened revealing a sad, tired-looking woman. 

“You must be the people from the FBI,” she greeted them. 

“Mrs. Bear?” Hotch asked as they walked up to the front door.

“Yes,” she replied. 

“I’m Agent Hotchner of the FBI,” he replied in approved fashion. “And, this is Agent Jareau. We’d like to talk with you about your son, Dudley. May we come in?”

The woman stepped back from the door. “May as well,” she replied.

As they walked into the tidy living room, JJ got a better look at the woman. Wordlessly, she put her arm around the grieving mother, led her to the couch, and helped her sit down.

“Rough time?” she asked quietly.

“I thought I could deal with anything,” the woman replied. “Guess I was wrong.”

“This isn’t something anyone is ever prepared to deal with,” the agent told her. “You just have to concentrate on taking things one step at a time. Eventually – Believe it or not – Things do get better.”

“We know this is a bad time,” Hotch spoke up. “But, there are some questions we need to ask.”

“We need to learn all we can about your son, Dudley,” JJ told her gently. “Hopefully, it will help us figure out who did this to him and why.”

“He just came home to see me for a few days,” Mrs. Bear told the agents. “He wasn’t planning on staying long.”

“So, this visit wasn’t planned in advance?” Hotch asked.

“No,” the woman replied. “Dudley got some unexpected time off and decided to surprise me. I didn’t know he was coming until I opened the door.”

“The other two men who died, Charlie Armstrong and Hunter Black, did Dudley know them?” Hotch asked.

“Well, he knew who they were,” Mrs. Bear told them. “But, he wasn’t friendly with them, if that’s what you mean.”

“He was found on the beach,” JJ ventured to ask. “Did he go there frequently?”

“When he was home,” Mrs. Bear replied. “He took up running while he was in college, and the beach was a flat surface he could run on. I just assumed that’s why he was there.”

“And, the gulls?” JJ knew this was probably a touchy subject.

“I have no idea!” the woman dissolved into tears. “I honestly don’t know what happened!”


	26. Chapter 25

Rossi had no problem finding the community health center. As Father Michael had told him, the cement block building was the largest in the village. It also helped that a crowd was gathering in the vicinity.

“Agent Rossi,” the voice came from behind him. Rossi turned around to see Ben Elkhorn standing there. 

“Mr. Elkhorn,” he greeted the village elder. “I understand your searchers found Maria Coleman’s body.”

“Yes, they did” the elder confirmed. “Fortunately, before any animals did. Unfortunately, she had been stabbed to death. There was a lot of blood.”

“If no animals had started attacking the body that means it couldn’t have been there very long.” Rossi observed. “The smell of blood would have attracted them.”

“That’s right,” the elder agreed. “However, her body was well wrapped in the plastic shower curtain. That might have kept the smell from attracting any scavengers.”

Rossi and the village elder watched in silence as several members of the search party carried the body past and into the health center.

“If you will excuse me,” Ross told the older man. “Unfortunately, my responsibilities include examining the deceased.”

“A sad job, indeed,” was the elder’s parting remark.

When Rossi reached the clinic door, he found Sergeant Moore working to keep the curious out. 

“Agent Rossi,” he greeted him. “Go right on through. You’ll find Doctor Albert in the room at the end of the hall. We’ve contacted Captain Wright and he should be joining you shortly.”

Rossi hesitated and looked at the Sergeant. “Can you tell me where the body was found?” he asked.

“Next to a small pond in the interior of the island,” the officer replied. “It looked like the killer had been interrupted before he could put the body into the pond. She was just lying there.”

“Or, he wanted the body to be found right away,” Rossi suggested as he headed down the hall.

Rossi stopped in the doorway of the examining room and watched as the doctor carefully unwrapped the body of the young woman. Both men stood and silently looked at her as she lay on the table.

Finally, the doctor raised his head. “I usually don’t do more than three or four autopsies a year,” he told the agent. “And, now, this is the third one in a month. I should be getting used to it, but I’m not.”

“Let’s hope this is the last,” Rossi told him as he moved further into the examining room. “What can you tell me from a preliminary visual inspection?”

The doctor began examining the body. “Well, my first guess as to cause of death would be this stab wound in the chest,” he pointed at it. “That would have pierced the heart and death would have been instantaneous.”

“And,” he added, examining the body further, “There don’t seem to be any other wounds or visible injuries on the body.”

“From what I can see, that sounds about right,” Rossi agreed. He examined the wrists. “It doesn’t look like she was restrained.” 

He glanced at the rest of the clothed body. “And, it doesn’t look like she was sexually assaulted,” he observed.

“I’ll have to check that out to be sure,” the doctor told him. “But, I think you’re right.”

Rossi paused. “You examined the bodies of the other victims?” It was a statement more than a question.

“Yes,” the doctor agreed with him.

“What can you tell me about them?” Rossi asked.

“Well, there wasn’t a whole lot left of Dudley Bear,” Doctor Albert began. “Between the gulls and what appeared to be damage done by a marauding bear, he was pretty torn apart. Positive identification had to be verified through his dental records.”

“Sea gulls?” Rossi questioned.

“Yes, sea gulls,” the doctor confirmed. “And, I must admit, that is a first for me.”

“The other two victims?” Rossi pursued the question.

“Hunter Black was definitely strangled before being pushed off the roof,” the doctor confirmed. “I could see the marks around his neck and his windpipe had been crushed. As for Charley Armstrong, everything I found was consistent with a fall off a cliff. A fall from that high does a lot of damage. In all three cases, samples were sent to the State Troopers lab for alcohol and drug testing. So far, Charley Armstrong has come back negative for both. I’m still waiting on the others.”

“Thanks. I’ll leave you to your work,” Rossi said as he walked out the door. “If you find anything else, you’ll let me know?”

“Of course,” Doctor Albert assured him.


	27. Chapter 26

It was early evening and the team had finished eating dinner, when Hotch gathered them around a table in the dining room of the Star Lodge. The other guests had all finished their meals, and the room was deserted for the evening.

“Okay, we have already gone over victimology of the first three victims,” he told his team. “And, JJ and I spoke with Dudley Bear’s mother. Now, we need to go over everything else about this case – and I do mean everything.”

“What did you find out about Dudley Bear?” Morgan began by asking.

“Apparently, his trip to the island was a last minute decision,” JJ replied. “His mother didn’t even know he was coming.”

“According to his mother, he wasn’t friends with any of the other victims,” Hotch added. “And, also according to her, he didn’t have any enemies.”

“Sounds like the first two victims,” Rossi commented.

“Garcia, what have you found out about the most recent victim?” Blake asked the analyst.

“Maria Coleman, our latest unfortunate victim,” Garcia replied, reading off her screen. “A college student from Seattle, apparently up here to study with the local herbalist, Isabella Dovak. As far as I can tell, this is her first trip to Alaska in general and Gullwing Island in particular. Nothing in her background to indicate any connection to person or persons in the area, and she has no criminal record other than several DUIs.”

“How did she make arrangements to study with Isabella?” JJ asked.

“Apparently, via an old fashioned letter,” Garcia told her. “I can’t find anything electronic, and I have looked!”

“So, thus far, it appears that none of the victims had a connection to any of the other victims,” Reid summarized. “And, this latest one had no connection at all to the area.”

“What are the odds that they were all just victims of circumstances?” JJ asked. “They were just were in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“That is something we definitely need to consider,” Rossi agreed.

“Okay,” Hotch said. “What about Isabella Dovak? You two spoke with her. What do you think?”

Morgan spoke up first. “She didn’t seem to be the murdering type, at least not with the techniques used by our unsub. She does have a multitude of dried herbs and plants, and undoubtedly has the knowledge to use them. But, as far as we know, none of the victims were drugged or poisoned.”

“Her mother did pass away about a year ago,” Blake continued. “If we are looking for a stresser, that might be it. However, there is something else.”

“And, that is?” Rossi inquired.

“After Morgan and Officer Ahronsohn had gone outside she said something strange to me,” Blake reported. “She said she was getting a feeling about Captain Wright. That he was unsettled. She wasn’t sure about what.”

“So, she is a psychic?” Rossi asked.

“She doesn’t claim to be. It was just a feeling she had and she passed it on for what it’s worth,” Blake told them. 

“Okay,” Hotch said. “Garcia, what have you found about the people living on the island?”

“Not a lot,” Garcia replied. “On the whole, they appear to be a law abiding group. There are probably some, like Charlie Armstrong, who are living under the radar, but nothing serious. And, the low overall crime rate - make that practically non-existent crime rate - reflects that.”

“Okay,” Hotch accepted her assessment of the population. “Let’s move on to Father Michael Fedorova.”

“Father Michael,” Garcia reported. “Born and raised in a small village in the interior. Attended seminary in Kodiak. Served his internship, or whatever they call it, with a congregation in Seattle. He then came back up here and took over the congregation on Gullwing Island. No criminal record of any kind that I can find. He attends retreats and seminars, but always comes back. He is married, but I can’t find anything negative on his wife, either.”

“What did you two find out?” Hotch asked Reid and Rossi.

Reid and Rossi exchanged glances, and Rossi took the lead. “A very dedicated priest,” he said. “Cares deeply about the people on the island, and tries to help in any way he can. As far as I can tell, he harbors no animosity towards anyone.”

“There is one thing, though,” Reid added. “He did mention the Hitchcock resemblance. It seems that during his youth it was a common practice to bring movies into the villages and show them in public gathering places, like a school. He was familiar with all the murders being reenacted.”

“That means he probably isn’t the only one,” Blake pointed out. “It’s likely the movies made the rounds of villages throughout the interior.”

“Didn’t Captain Wright mention that Sylvia Ahronsohn came from the interior?” Hotch asked.

“That’s right,” Reid confirmed.

“Okay, what do we know about Officer Ahronsohn?” Rossi asked.

Garcia pulled up another file. “Here we go,” she said. “Sylvia Ahronsohn. Born in Ruby, Alaska, which is located on the Yukon River. Definitely in the interior. Attended school there, graduated, and left to attend college in Fairbanks. After graduation, she was accepted at the State Troopers Academy in Sitka. Graduated this spring and Gullwing Island is her first assignment.” 

“Parents?” JJ asked. “Any indications of a boyfriend?”

“Parents are both still alive, along with a younger brother and sister,” Garcia replied. “Nothing that I can find in the way of boyfriends. Of course, there are some things that won’t show up on official, or even unofficial, records.”

“She appeared to be enthusiastic about her job and about the island during the time we were with her,” Morgan told the team. “If she is the unsub, she was hiding it extremely well!”

“No stresers that show up on the official records,” JJ commented.

“And, she hasn’t been on the island long enough to acquire the familiarity with the terrain that the unsub has shown,” Blake said.

“Also, going by Father Michael’s age, the Hitchcock movies probably made the rounds well before she was born,” Reid pointed out. 

“Okay, as long as we’re looking, what about Officer Miller?” Morgan asked.

Garcia pulled up another file. “Sarah Miller was born, raised, and attended school in Anchorage,” she reported. “After four years of college, she was accepted at the Academy, graduated this spring, and Gullwing Island is her first assignment. Again, no indications of problems either at home or in school.”

“And, from what we saw, no signs of her being a homicidal maniac,” Rossi told the group. “Although – “

“What?” JJ asked.

“Father Michael did say something about her having to make her way in a man’s profession,” Rossi reported. “It might have been an off-hand remark, but he did make it.”

“Well, we’ll keep that in mind,” Hotch noted.

“Finally, what about our Captain Wright?” JJ asked. 

“It’s a good thing I have a lot of patience with you guys,” Garcia commented as she again attacked her computer keys.

“Don’t think we don’t appreciate all your efforts, Baby Girl,” Morgan assured her. “Now – Captain Wright?”

“Okay, okay,” Garcia groused. “Stephen Wright, born in Seattle, and moved to Alaska with his family when he was three years old. Grew up in Juneau where he attended school and graduated at the top of his class. Went on to attend college in Juneau, again at the top of his class. Afterwards, he was accepted at the Academy. After several other assignments, he ended up on Gullwing Island, where he has been for the past nine years. And – That’s strange!”

“What is?” Hotch asked.

“It shows here that he is married,” Garcia told the team. “But I don’t remember hearing him mention a wife.”

“Well, maybe he keeps his private live private,” Rossi suggested, giving JJ a look. “Some people like to do that.”


	28. Chapter 27

“Any thoughts or suggestions?” Hotch looked around the table at his team.

“I still think these victims were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” JJ maintained. “They have no connection to each other and probably don’t have any to the unsub. I think we should concentrate on profiling the unsub.”

“I agree,” Rossi spoke up. “But, we’ve had a long day and I think we’ve covered everything we can cover tonight. Tomorrow, we can review what we know about the unsub and build an updated profile to present to the Troopers. Also, Garcia can start researching further into the lives of people on the island.”

“Good idea,” Hotch agreed. “Why doesn’t everyone get a good night’s sleep and we can start again fresh in the morning?”

As the team left to go to their rooms, Garcia stayed behind to pack up her computer and pick up the extra files. It took only a few minutes for JJ and Blake to return.

“Okay, now that Rossi and Morgan are gone, what did you find out about Amanda and her daughter Lena?” JJ asked.

Garcia looked toward the door as she opened up her computer. “Amanda and Lena Carlisle,” she began. “As Rossi told JJ, Amanda’s husband was in a horrible, horrible car accident ten years ago. It left him with brain damage, which got progressively worse and made him increasingly difficult to deal with, until he died about three months ago. Apparently, he was an extremely successful software engineer who sold several of his programs to major computer companies. The money from those sales, along with the lawsuit settlement, and the insurance money, left Amanda quite a wealthy woman. However, it appears that she has put most of the money into a trust for Lena and her education.”

“Okay, definitely not a gold-digger,” JJ commented.

“What about Lena?” Blake asked.

“I’m getting there,” Garcia assured her. “Lena was born to a single mother and, from what I can tell here, it was a private adoption when she was about six weeks old.”

“Her aunt worked with Amanda,” Morgan’s voice echoed from across the room. “Lena’s mother was a drug addict/prostitute who had no idea who Lena’s father was, and most definitely couldn’t take care of a baby. Amanda has always said that the minute she saw Lena’s picture, she fell in love with her.”

 **“Garcia, what are you doing?”** Morgan demanded angrily as he strode across the room.

“Please, don’t be mad,” Garcia begged him. “I’m just worried about you, my favorite profiler.”

“We don’t want to see you get taken advantage of by some shipboard floozy,” JJ added.

“That’s hardly the case,” Morgan told the women. “And, if you wanted to know about Lena, you should have come to me!” He glared directly at Garcia.

“We’re coming to you now,” Blake pointed out.

“Yes, please reassure us that you’re not about to leave the Bureau and go chase some gold-digger around the world,” Garcia begged him. “Please!”

Morgan had to smile. “Garcia, you have nothing to worry about,” he tolded her. “Lena is going back to college in another six weeks or so. The only place I’ll be going is to her school to visit her.”

“College?” JJ asked.

“Yes, college,” Morgan repeated. “Lena withdrew when her father’s health began deteriorating and her mother needed help. After his death, she stayed on to make sure her mother was okay. With her mother’s encouragement, she’s headed back to finish grad school when the fall term begins.”

“Okay, we’ve been reassured. And, we should have come to you in the first place,” Blake conceded. She looked around. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m headed to bed.”

“And, I’m coming with you,” JJ added as the two women scurried out of the room.

“Garcia?” Morgan asked, holding out his hand to help her stand up.

“Okay, I’ve learned my lesson,” the tech told him, as she grasped his hand and allowed him to help her stand. “But, I do worry about you, you know.”

“As I do you!” the smile said it all.


	29. Chapter 28

As the team well knew, Reid never slept much. He might nap for two or three hours, but the majority of his night was spent reading, watching movies, or practicing chess moves. For that reason, none of the other men particularly wanted to share a room with him. On this trip, Morgan had drawn the short straw and was occupying the second bed when Reid awoke in the early morning.

Quietly, he got out of bed, slipped on a pair of sweats, picked up the philosophy book he had left lying out, and headed down to the Lodge’s lobby. He had seen a comfortable couch there, along with a reading lamp, and figured he could make himself at home there for the remainder of the night.

Reid was well into his book when he heard a loud banging noise on the porch. Rolling off the couch, he grabbed his gun from the end table, and started towards the door. Before he could reach it, the door burst open and Officer Miller charged in. Seeing Reid with his gun, she came to a complete stop, holding her hands out and away from her sides.

“What are you doing down here?” she asked the agent.

“What are you doing here?” he returned the question.

“Looking for you guys,” was the officer’s answer. “A young boy has been reported missing and I think it might tie into the murders.”

“A young boy?” Reid holstered his weapon. “How old?”

“Sixteen – His name’s Danny Kline” Officer Miller reported. “His mother just woke up and realized he hadn’t come home. She came right over to the post. I’m on night duty this week. I went over to Captain Wright’s place first, but he wasn’t there, so I came over here.”

“He fits our initial profile of the victims getting progressively younger,” Reid quickly realized. “Have you contacted anyone else?”

“No,” Officer Miller told him. “I wasn’t quite sure what to do, so I decided to talk to you.”

“You did the right thing,” Reid assured her. “Stay here in the lobby for a minute and let me wake up my team. Then, we can get organized and decide how best to proceed.”

Reid ran down the hallway and within seconds was banging on Hotch’s hotel room door. “Wake up, Hotch - There’s been another abduction!” he shouted.

The door opened and Hotch stood there wearing a pair of tailored pajamas. “Reid? What is going on?” he asked.

“There’s been another abduction,” Reid repeated. “A 16 year old boy never came home last night. That fits the victim profile. Also, Captain Wright is missing. As soon as she realized what was going on, Officer Miller came over here to tell us.”

“Has she notified anyone else?” Hotch was wide awake now.

“No,” Reid replied. “Should I get her started assembling a search party?”

“Tell her to call all the Troopers and have them meet us at the post,” Hotch told him. “We can give them all instructions there. I’ll wake up the rest of the team.”

“What about the volunteers?” Reid remembered the earlier search.

“Not right now. We can always call them in later,” Hotch decided.


	30. Chapter 29

When Reid returned to the lobby, he saw that Nancy had joined Office Miller. “I heard voices and thought I had better investigate,” she explained.

Reid spoke to Officer Miller. “Okay, start by calling all the Troopers and have them assemble at the Post,” he instructed her. “My team will meet them there and establish search procedures.”

“What about the volunteers?” the officer inquired.

“Not right now. Maybe later,” the agent told her. 

Officer Miller pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and started calling.

“I thought cell phones didn’t work up here,” Reid turned to Nancy.

“They work, it’s just that they aren’t totally dependable,” she clarified.

Reid thought of something else. “Nancy,” he asked, “Can you tell me what happened to Captain Wright’s wife?”

Nancy thought for a minute. “She left him,” was her response. “She went back to the mainland, or wherever she was from.”

“When was that?” Reid asked. 

“Four months, maybe,” Nancy told him. “I do know it was before the new officers arrived.”

“Has anyone heard from her since?” Reid asked.

“Not that I know of,” Nancy replied. “However, you may want to check with Olga, Father Michael’s wife. She was close to her.”

Hotch arrived in the lobby, still pulling on his shirt. “I’ve alerted everyone,” he told Reid. “They’ll be here as soon as they get dressed.”

He turned to Officer Miller. “Fill me in.”

Officer Miller took a deep breath and then began. “At 2:30 a.m., about 45 minutes ago, Mrs. Kline came into the Post,” she reported. “She told me that when she woke up at about 2:00 a.m., she realized that her son, Danny, age 16, hadn’t come home from visiting some friends down the road. She woke her husband who then walked down to the friends’ house and determined that Danny had left there to return home at approximately 11:00 p.m. On his way back to the house, her husband rechecked the road and found no trace of Danny. They then double-checked the house and determined that he was definitely not there. Mrs. Kline then proceeded to the Post, where she spoke with me.”

Officer Miller paused to take a deep breath before continuing. “I then sent Mrs. Kline back home to wait in case Danny returns. I proceeded to Captain Wright’s home to inform him. There was no response when I knocked, so I opened the front door and called in. Again, there was no response, so I conducted a quick search and determined that he was not present. I then came directly over to the lodge to inform your team.”

The rookie officer looked at Hotch, waiting for his response.

“Sounds to me like you’ve done everything right,” he praised her. “Now, I understand you have called all the Troopers and asked them to gather at the Post?”

“That’s correct,” she was obviously anxious to do everything ‘by the book’.

“Good,” Hotch told her. “If you’ll wait here for a few minutes, you can take some of my people with you when you return to the Post. Also, two of us will need to go talk with Danny’s parents. “

“I can take you to Danny’s parents,” Father Michael’s voice came from outside the front door.

“Father?” Rossi, still running his hands through his hair, had arrived in the lobby.

“Mrs. Kline stopped by my house on her way home,” the priest explained as he opened the screen door and stepped into the room. “I sent her on her way home, and decided to come over here and see if I could help.”

“That will definitely help,” Hotch told him thankfully. “If you can wait until I have all my team here, we’ll be able to split up and cover everything.”

Morgan came into the lobby next, accompanied by JJ. “When you have a child, you learn to wake up at a moment’s notice,” she was telling him.

Blake arrived and looked around. “Where is Garcia?” she asked.

“Right here – Right here!” the tech stumbled into the room, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She had managed to put on a pair of sweats, but was still wearing furry bedroom slippers. Her hair was standing out in multiple directions with her glasses tangled in the confusion.

Hotch looked at her and made a decision. “Garcia, you can set up your computer and work from here, can’t you?” he asked.

“Of course, Sir,” Garcia attempted to snap to attention. “Just give me a few minutes to get it from my –our – room.”

“Do that,” Hotch instructed her. “I need you to find out any additional information you can about Captain Wright. Then, look for any information you can located on Danny Kline.”

Hotch turned to Nancy. “You’ll be here with her, won’t you?” he asked.

“Of course,” Nancy replied. “And, just so you know, I have my gun handy, right over there under the counter.”

“Good,” Hotch responded. “Just be sure to look before you shoot. And, please, lock the doors after we leave.”

“JJ and Blake,” he continued, “I want you to go and talk to Danny’s mother. When you are done there, you can join the rest of the team at the Post. Everyone else, we’ll go directly there to meet with the Troopers.”

“If you’ll come with me,” Father Michael spoke up, leading the two agents out the front door.

“Father, before you leave, can you tell us anything about Captain Miller’s wife?” Reid inquired.

The priest stopped and looked back at the young agent. “She left him,” the priest responded sadly. “About – oh – four months ago?”

“Has you wife heard from her?” Reid followed up.

“Now that you mention it – No,” he replied.


	31. Chapter 30

With Father Michael’s assistance, JJ and Blake quickly made their way through the woods and soon arrived at Danny Kline’s home. A modest house, it stood back from the dirt road surrounded by carefully tended flower gardens.

As they stood on the road looking at the house, Father Michael turned to the two women. “I know this is difficult for me,” he observed. “It must be even more so for you.”

JJ blinked and thought for a moment. “We have to remember, we are here to help these people,” she told the priest. “It may seem that we are invading their privacy, but, ultimately, we will be able to bring them some peace.”

“And, if we are fortunate, we will be able to bring their child back to them,” Blake added.

The priest nodded. “Then, let’s go in,” he said as he led the way to the door.

As they started up the front walkway, the door opened to reveal a disheveled looking woman dressed in sweats standing just inside. “Father Michael,” she said. “Have you heard anything?”

“It’s early for news,” the priest told her. “I have, however, brought these two ladies from the FBI. They are here to help.”

“I’m Agent Jennifer Jareau and this is Agent Alex Blake,” JJ introduced them. “May we come in?”

“Of course, of course,” the woman replied, stepping back from the doorway.

“Mrs. Kline?” Blake thought to ask. “You’re Danny’s mother?”

“Yes, that’s right,” the woman confirmed. “I hope you don’t mind sitting in the kitchen,” she continued. “I was putting the coffee on for when my husband returns.”

She led the way into a tidy kitchen, and indicated some chairs around the kitchen table. The agents and Father Michael sat and watched as she finished setting up the coffee pot.

“Your husband is out searching?” Blake asked.

“He thought he should go back down the road,” Mrs. Kline replied. “Just in case he missed something that shows where Danny has gone.”

“Don’t worry,” Father Michael quickly spoke up. “Mr. Kline is one of our volunteer law enforcement officials. He knows what to do if he finds something.”

“Now, I know this is going to be hard,” JJ told Mrs. Kline. “But we need to ask you some questions about Danny.”

“Please, ask!” Mrs. Kline replied, taking a seat at the table. “Anything you can do to get my son back!”

“Tell us about Danny,” Blake began. “What is he like? What does he enjoy in school? What does he do in his spare time?”

"Danny isn’t a trouble maker, except when someone else starts it,” Mrs. Kline began. “He was in trouble at school shortly before it ended for the summer, but it was the other boy who instigated it.” She began crying.

“There was an investigation into some mischievous mischief at the school,” Father Michael filled in the blanks. “Captain Wright determined that the other boy involved, Jimmy Lee, was the primary miscreant.”

“That’s the type of information we are looking for,” Blake assured the woman. “Now, was he dependable? Could you count on him to be on time? Has he ever just wandered off?”

“Oh, yes, I could always count on him,” his mother replied, drying her tears. “And, he was always on time for school and for his meetings with Captain Wright. He was terribly conscientious about those.”

“Captain Wright?” JJ asked, surprised.

“Yes. After the problem at school, Captain Wright suggested that he talk to Danny on a regular basis regarding resisting peer pressure and bullying,” Mrs. Kline explained.

“Was he being bullied?” JJ asked.

 **“No He Was Not!”** a male voice came from the back door. “It was just an excuse for the Captain to show off.”

“We don’t know that,” Mrs. Kline protested. “This is my husband, Danny’s father. Dear, these are the agents from the FBI.”

“Shouldn’t you be out looking for my son?” the man asked roughly.

“The search is being organized right now,” Blake assured the upset father. “We are just trying to get some information that will help the searchers before they get started.”

“Well, he wasn’t in trouble, he wasn’t a runaway, and he wasn’t being bullied,” Danny’s father declared. “What else do you need to know?”

“Now, Mr. Kline,” Father Michael began.

“That’s okay, Father,” JJ spoke up. “Mr. Kline, why do you say Captain Wright was trying to show off?”

“Because he was,” the man angrily declared. “He always thought he was too good for this island. He was trying to make points with his higher ups so he would get a promotion and get out of here.”

JJ and Blake exchanged looks. “Okay, one last question,” JJ addressed the parents. “Has Danny seemed to be worried or upset about anything recently?”

 **“No, Most Definitely Not!”** Mr. Klein declared emphatically.

“Okay, I think we have everything we need,” Blake told the parents. “I suspect the searchers will be here shortly.”

“Yes, thank you,” JJ added as the two agents, accompanied by Father Michael, found their way to the front door.

“You know something?” Father Michael asked as they paused on the porch.

“I don’t know,” JJ answered honestly, as she pulled out her cell phone. “Darn, I forgot these things don’t work here.”

“Actually, they do,” the Father told her. “You can usually get through. It’s just that occasionally a call gets dropped.”

“Just like any number of other places,” Blake summarized. She turned and looked around the wooded area. “Father, we need to get to the Trooper’s Post.”

“This way,” Father Michael led the way off the porch and down the road.


	32. Chapter 31

When Hotch and the rest of the BAU team arrived at the State Troopers Post, all the Troopers on the island were already there. Hotch and his team members quickly took their places at the front of the room and surveyed the group, while Officer Miller joined the other officers. 

“Captain Wright?” Hotch asked.

Everyone looked around. “He’s not here,” Sergeant Moore observed. 

“Has anyone seen him since, say, around 9:00 last evening?” Rossi asked.

Everyone shook their head.

“Okay,” Hotch said. He looked at the group and began, “As you all know, a 16 year old boy, Danny Kline, is missing. He disappeared between 11:00 last night and 2:00 this morning. Apparently, Captain Wright is also gone. We have no indication that the two of them are together. However, we are going to organize the search on the assumption that if we locate one, we will have located both.”

Hotch paused as he noticed a man not in uniform among the group. Before he could say anything to him, Rossi spoke up.

“Hotch, this is Ben Elkhorn,” he told his superior. “He is an elder from the local tribal group. He knows this island better than anyone, and that is exactly what we need right now.”

Hotch nodded his acceptance. “Mr. Elkhorn, thank you for joining us. We can certainly use your expertise.”

“We are going to begin by splitting you into two groups,” he continued. “One group will go with Rossi and search the area around the house where Danny was last seen. The other group will go with Morgan and examine the road between the two houses. Mr. Elkhorn, if you will get with Dr. Reid and review a map of the island, maybe you can help us determine where the two of them may have gone.”

“Let’s get going!” Morgan led the way out the door.

After the two teams had left, Hotch walked swiftly over to Captain Wright’s office, opened the door, and looked in.

“What are you looking for?” Reid joined him.

“Some insight into the man,” Hotch replied, surveying the excessively neat piles of paperwork. “Somehow, I’m getting a strange feeling about him.”

“Well, you are about to get a stranger feeling,” Blake announced as she and JJ burst into the room. 

JJ held up her cell phone. “These ‘new-fangled’ gadgets do work up here,” she told Hotch. “And, I’ve been having an interesting discussion with Garcia.”


	33. Chapter 32

“Garcia,” Hotch spoke up. “You are on speaker.”

“Thanks for the warning, My Leader,” Garcia replied. “However, you may want to restrict whoever is hearing this.”

Hotch walked into the Captain’s office and gestured for Reid, JJ, and Blake to follow him. “Okay, Begin,” he said, as soon as he had closed the door.

“If you had suspicions before, they have been confirmed,” Garcia reported. “Let’s start with Captain Stephen Wright’s college days. He did attend college in Juneau. And, upon closer examination, I have found that he was very involved in the school’s Classic Movies Club, to the point where he was President his Senior Year.”

“Anyone with that background surely would have recognized the resemblance to the Hitchcock movies,” JJ pointed out. “And, yet, he never mentioned it.”

“There is more,” Garcia promised. “During the nine years he has been on Gullwing Island, he has spent at least seven of them trying to get transferred off the island. He has sent in transfer request after transfer request, many of them outlining his accomplishments during his tenure here.”

“Mr. Kline did mention something like that,” Blake told the others. “He said that was why the Captain had insisted on mentoring Danny.”

“Garcia, anything else?” Hotch asked.

“Unfortunately, there is always something else,” Garcia replied. “His wife, Marie, she’s gone. And, I do mean gone. She has dropped off the radar completely – No airline tickets, no credit card charges, nothing.”

“Has anyone checked Captain Wright’s house?” Reid suggested. “There is one Hitchcock movie, Rope, released in 1948, where the victim’s body was hidden in a trunk which was part of the furniture in the living room.”

 “If we are right, and he is following Hitchcock movie plots, it is possible his wife never left the island,” JJ exclaimed.

“ **Ick!** I don’t even want to hear about that!” Garcia shuddered.

“What about Danny Kline?” Blake asked.

“Just normal kid stuff,” Garcia told her. “Despite the incident last spring, he definitely is not a problem child.”

“No need for a mentor?” JJ assumed.

“Not that I can find!” the tech declared.

“Thanks, Garcia,” Hotch exclaimed. “That’s just the information we need. Keep digging!”

“Until my hands are dirty! Over and out,” Garcia signed off.


	34. Chapter 33

“We need to change our game plan,” Hotch declared, leading the group out of Captain Wright’s office. “We need to examine the Captain’s house as well as his office.”

“I’ll take the office,” JJ volunteered. “It looks **way** too neat and I am willing to bet there is something hidden in there for me to find.”

“Great!” Hotch told her. “You can get started on that. Blake, you can come with me to check out his house. Reid, if you and Mr. Elkhorn will continue working the geographic profile, we can keep the searchers on track.”

Reid nodded and turned to the village elder. “We have a map right over here,” he explained, leading the way to the conference table. “I have marked the areas where the victims lived and where their bodies were found. What can you tell me about the terrain I have outlined?”

The two men were soon deep into a discussion concerning the topography of the island.

Hotch looked at Blake. “I assume that is Captain Wright’s house just across the road,” he said. “Shall we get started?”

Blake glanced around. “Where is Father Michael?” she asked. “He came back with us from the Klein’s house.”

Ben Elkhorn looked up from the map. “He probably returned to the Klein’s,” he suggested. “They are part of his congregation and he’ll want to be with them if any information comes in about Danny.”

Quickly, Hotch and Blake strode over to the house occupied by Captain Wright and his wife. Before entering, they stood on the front poch and assessed the view. “This overlooks the wharf, so he’d have a clear view of whoever was coming and going on the island,” Hotch observed.

“There are probably other docks where smaller, private boats come and go,” Blake pointed out. “But the majority of the traffic would most likely come through here and go right down the road past Dudley Bear’s home. He would definitely know who had arrived on the island.”

Hotch turned and looked at the door. “Well, let’s go in.”

The front door proved to be unlocked. The room the two agents walked into was a comfortably furnished living room in an unnaturally pristine condition.. As the agents cautiously sniffed the air, they could smell industrial strength disinfectant.

Hotch looked around. “Where do you want to start?” he asked.

“I assume we are looking for a large chest or trunk,” Blake said. “Let’s just walk through and see what we find.”

The blanket chest was in what appeared to be a guest bedroom. Hotch took one look at it and winced. “I suspect I should do the honors,” he remarked.

After Blake had removed the runner and the ornaments from the top of the chest, Hotch gingerly lifted the lid and the two looked inside.

“Oh, boy,” was all Blake said.

“Looks like we were right,” Hotch commented as they both took a step backwards and allowed the lid to fall back into place. “Marie Wright never left the island.”

Blake pulled out her cell phone. “Garcia, we need you to locate the coroner and send him over to Captain Wright’s house immediately,” she spoke into the phone.

Hotch spoke up. “Please, make sure he understands this is in strict confidence,” he told the tech. “We don’t want this getting out quite yet.”


	35. Chapter 34

As Hotch and Blake waited patiently for the coroner to arrive, Hotch decided to check whether his cell phone really did work in that area.

“Hotch?” Morgan answered his cell. “These phones do work up here?” He sounded surprised.

“Yes, apparently Captain Wright was lying about that,” Hotch filled him in. “Now, all we have to do is figure out what else he was lying about. Meanwhile, how are things going with the search parties?”

“Thankfully, up here daylight hours start early during the summer months,” Morgan told his boss. “Rossi’s team has completed examining the area around the house. They didn’t find anything. However, my team appears to have located the place on the road where Danny was taken. It doesn’t look like a scuffle took place. It appears that he just walked onto the edge of the road and then off into the woods.”

“That would track with him knowing his abductor,” Hotch commented. “And, it is beginning to look more and more like that is Captain Wright. We just located his wife’s body. She never made it off the island.”

“Great, so that’s who we are looking for,” Morgan replied. “Should we begin tracking him through the woods?”

“Get the two teams together,” Hotch instructed. “Tell them who we are looking for and make sure they understand that if they see Captain Wright they are not to approach him. Just keep him under surveillance and call for back-up. Then, you take three or four of the Troopers and start following the tracks through the woods. Have Rossi bring the rest back to the Post.”

“Will do,” Morgan agreed. “I’ll have Rossi call and let you know when he’s on his way.”


	36. Chapter 35

After speaking with Morgan, Hotch helped as Blake took pictures of Marie Wright’s body lying in the chest. When Dr. Albert arrived, they donned plastic gloves and assisted him in moving the body and placing it on the floor on top of a sheet he had brought with him. 

As the three people stood looking at the dead woman, Hotch spoke to the Doctor. “I know this is kind of soon,” he told the physician. “But, can you see anything that might give us cause of death?”

Doctor Albert did a quick examination. “My initial thoughts are that her neck was broken,” he reported. “And, before you ask, I have to tell you that the closest estimate I can give you for time of death is ‘several months ago’.”

“That fits in with what we know,” Hotch assured him. “Now, you do understand that we need to have this kept quiet, at least for now. You have an assistant you can trust?”

“Oh, yes,” the doctor nodded. “That should be no problem. I’ll call him and have him waiting to meet me at the health center when I arrive. This time of the morning, we should be able to get the body inside without being seen.”

“Good”, Hotch said. “I saw you brought your truck. Do you need me to help move the body into it?”

After Marie Wright’s body had been secured in the back of the truck, Dr. Albert turned to the two agents. “I was going to come by first thing in the morning,” he told them. “I received the lab results from Hunter Black and Dudley Bear. As far as the lab could determine, neither had any drugs nor alcohol in their systems. However, for some reason Dudley Bear’s tissue sample seemed to have been contaminated by significant amounts of fish offal.”

Blake looked at Hotch. “I never heard of that before,” she commented. “We will probably need to check with Reid.”


	37. Chapter 36

As Hotch and Blake walked back into the Post, Reid looked up from examining the map. “We saw the coroner?” he asked.

“We were right,” Blake told him sadly. “She never left the island.”

“A strange thing, though,” Hotch added. “According to the lab, Dudley Bear’s tissue sample appeared to have been contaminated with fish offal. I don’t know a lot about working on a fishing boat, but I always assumed that the actual cleaning of the fish occurred once they were delivered to the processing plant.”

“You’re right,” Ben Elkhorn spoke up. “However, an individual fishing for his own use would gut his catch immediately upon returning to land.”

“Dudley Bear had just arrived to visit his mother,” Blake said. “He hadn’t had an opportunity to go fishing yet. Why would he be covered with fish guts?”

“Wait a minute,” JJ had been listening from the office door. “I don’t know a lot about fishing but I do know something about hunting. During the summer months, hunters will often set up a feeding station to lure the animals closer so they will be easier to kill once hunting season begins. Could you do that with sea gulls?”

“Sea gulls are scavengers,” Reid contributed. “Setting up a feeding station to attract them wouldn’t be hard.”

“Then, when the time is right, all you would have to do is lure your victim into the area and cover them with the fish remains. The gulls would soon be fighting to get them,” JJ surmised.

“And, incidentally, kill the unfortunate victim,” Blake put her hand over her mouth.

“Anyone who fishes – which I would guess that is everyone on the island – could have set it up,” Hotch concluded. 

“I am certainly glad I don’t have your job,” Ben Elkhorn told the agents. “To imagine someone doing that – “

“Well, that fits in with what I found in the office,” JJ commented.


	38. Chapter 37

“And, that is?” Hotch inquired. 

“My search has been quite productive,” JJ confided. “It seems that Captain Wright loved to keep complete records, not only of all his activities, but also of those of the other inhabitants of the island.”

“Including?” Hotch questioned.

“He had the daily report forms that he needed to turn in to his superiors,” JJ began. “Plus, he had his own record of who came and went on the wharf out front. Added to that, he kept a type of abbreviated journal of his own activities.” She held up what appeared to be a well-worn appointment book.

“These go back how far?” Blake was curious.

“Apparently, the records go back to when he first arrived on the island,” JJ told her. “However, I have been concentrating on the past four mnths.”

“And, you found?” Hotch asked.

“Two things of note,” JJ laid the journal on the table so everyone could see it. “First, on March 23 his writing style changed, both his handwriting and his use of words. That appears to be when his wife either died or was killed.”

“That would fit with our timeline,” Blake observed. “And, it fits the coroner’s initial assessment. Can we tell exactly what happened?”

“It is written in his own form of abbreviations,” JJ replied. “However, from what I can decipher, it appears that he and Marie had an argument. It’s unclear whether she fell on her own or was pushed, but she hit her head on the corner of the kitchen table and died.”

“Okay, we have our stressor,” Blake pointed out. “What happened then?”

“Apparently, he remembered the Hitchcock movie,” JJ continued. “And, he put her body in the trunk.”

“In the movie,” Reid interrupted, “After successfully murdering his friend, the murderer felt so superior to his other friends that he threw a party using the trunk as an end table in the living room.”

“That ties in with the second thing I noticed,” JJ told them. “From that point on he began writing about how much smarter he is than the other inhabitants of the island. Among other things, he brags about how he had several of them bringing him the ‘remains’ from their gutted fish. He told them he needed fertilizer for his garden. He seemed to think it was funny.”

“What about Danny?” Blake asked.

“Apparently, he viewed Danny as a necessary evil, a sidekick, if you will, who could be used as a scapegoat if need be,” JJ filled in the blanks.

“Well, that answers a lot of questions,” Blake observed. “Now, we just need to locate him and, hopefully, Danny.”

“How about the search parties, have you heard from them?” Reid turned to Hotch.

“They have located the place where Danny left the road and went out into the woods,” Hotch replied. “No indication of another person, though. How about you? Have you found anything?”


	39. Chapter 38

“Actually, we have,” Reid told Hotch. “We appear to have located Captain Wright’s comfort zone. Come and take a look at the area we have marked.”

“Do you know what direction Danny was headed in?” Ben Elkhorn inquired as they moved toward the table.

“Let me check,” Hotch pulled out his cell phone and put it on speaker. “Morgan? Just so you know, you’re on speaker. Can you give me an idea of the direction Danny appears to have taken?”

“You mean compass direction?” Morgan asked.

Hotch looked at the village elder, “Ask one of the Troopers if you are headed toward the Star Lodge,” Ben Elkhorn instructed Morgan.

“Hey,” they heard Morgan call out. “Guys, are we headed towards the Lodge?”

They couldn’t distinguish the response, but Morgan quickly got back on the phone. “Yeah,” he told them. “The guys say we are headed in that general direction. Does that mean anything?”

“It might,” Hotch replied, looking at Mr. Elkhorn. “Does it look like anyone is with Danny?”

“Oh, yeah,” Morgan told him. “There are definitely two sets of prints at this point. Do you want us to keep going?”

“Keep going,” Hotch instructed him. “But keep it quiet and do your best not to let them know you are on to them. Put your phone on vibrate, and I’ll get back to you.”

“No problem,” Morgan replied. “And, Rossi says to tell you he and the others are on their way back.”

Hotch bent over the map with Reid and Mr. Elkhorn as Reid began his explanation. 

“We started by mapping each victim’s movements, as far as we know them,” he began.

“Looking at the terrain, there are some areas we could immediately exclude,” the village elder explained.

“That still left us with a rather large comfort zone,” Reid pointed to the area. “However, then we noticed something.”

“Every victim either came or went in the area around the Star Lodge,” Ben Elkhorn said, pointing to a spot on the map. “That appears to be what they all have in common.”

“According to Morgan, that’s the general direction Captain Wright and Danny appear to be headed in now,” Hotch realized. “We really need to get over there and see if we can intercept them before they actually reaches the Lodge.”

“This time of the year, that place is full of tourists!” Ben Elkhorn exclaimed. 

Hotch pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and began calling. “Rossi,” he spoke into the phone. “Turn your guys around and head for the Star Lodge. Stop in the clearing located about 500 feet down the road before you get there. That’s where we’ll meet you. If you see Captain Wright – Well – Use your best judgment.”

Hotch called again. “Morgan? Just take your guys to the Lodge, to the clearing about 500 feet down the road. Rossi should get there before you. Wait for us!”

JJ and Reid were already pulling on their Kevlar vests. 

Ben Elkhorn spoke up. “I can show you the fastest route to the lodge,” he volunteered. 

“Here, put this on,” Hotch handed him a vest. “And, let’s move!”

The four agents followed the village elder out the door and into the woods.


	40. Chapter 39

When Hotch and his group reached the clearing designated as the meeting point, they found that Rossi’s group had already arrived and was waiting quietly.

“Do you know if Captain Wright has already arrived?” Hotch asked concerned. “Garcia and Nancy were both in the lobby when we left!”

“We aren’t sure. I just sent Ahronsohn to take a look in the windows,” Rossi replied. “As soon as she gets back, we’ll know.”

As they waited impatiently, Morgan’s team joined them. “I’ve tried calling Garcia on her cell,” Morgan told the agents. “But, it’s going straight to voicemail.”

“I’ve never known Garcia not to answer her phone,” Reid’s comment wasn’t reassuring.

“I’d feel better about this if I went up there myself,” Morgan fussed. “That’s my Baby Girl in there!”

Suddenly, all the lights in the Lodge’s lobby came on and someone was standing on the porch shouting and waving.

“What the #@&* ? ” Hotch exploded.

“Only one way to find out,” Rossi told the flustered agent as he led the way towards the lodge’s front door.

Officer Ahronsohn was standing on the porch. “That is some team you have,” she complimented Hotch. “She sure had me fooled!”

Morgan burst into the lodge’s lobby and promptly collapsed in laughter. “Baby Girl!” was all he could manage.

 **“O-M-G!”** JJ gasped as she took in the sight in the lobby. Captain Wright lay on the floor, bound with electric cords from the lobby’s lamps. Danny, looking  totally terrorized, was tied to the chair from behind the check-in counter. Garcia was lounging on the couch, still wearing her furry pink slippers, and reading a fashion magazine. Nancy was perched on the check-in counter, casually cleaning her gun.

As the BAU team, accompanied by the Troopers, burst into the room, Garcia looked up from her magazine. “I knew you’d get here sooner or later,” she commented.


	41. Case Review

Later that morning, the BAU team gathered the Troopers at the Post. “It may be a little late for this,” Hotch addressed the group. “But, we thought we should give you our profile of the unsub, Stephen Wright, as well as a final run down of the case. It may help you in your future work.”

Morgan took the floor. “Steven Wright is what we term an organized serial killer,” he explained. “He showed an extreme amount of self-control in the way he spaced out his kills. And, as indicated by his school records, he had above average intelligence and excelled in all his classes. His social skills were excellent, and he had no problem getting people to trust him. However, he peaked early in life and, when he was confronted with the real world, he found he couldn’t compete.”

“He spent nine years here on Gullwing Island,” Rossi stepped in. “And, he watched, frustrated, while others, with less experience and less intelligence, came in, learned from him, and then moved on.“

“The real stressor, however, came when his wife was killed,” Reid took over. “We probably will never know if it was by accident or by intention, but she fell and hit her head on the corner of a table, breaking her neck. That’s when he saw his opportunity to prove that his intelligence exceeded everyone else’s.”

“Drawing on his knowledge of Hitchcock movies, gained during his college days, he decided to conceal her body in a trunk,” Blake continued. “And, when he got away with that, it triggered his killing spree. He figured he could recreate murders from other Hitchcock movies without anyone else realizing it. This played to his growing egomania.”

“We’ll probably never know what his end game plan was, or even if he had one,” JJ took the floor. “Our guess is that he brought Danny Kline in as his fall guy, and probably planned on killing him when the time came. That way he could place all the blame on Danny. However, Stephen Wright’s downfall came when the BAU team arrived on the island. Not only did we recognize the Hitchcock resemblance, but the group also included the one thing missing from his re-creations –“ At this point JJ turned to smile at Garcia.

“Blonds,” Garcia spoke up, fluffing her hair. “Alfred Hitchcock was obsessed with blond women such as Grace Kelly, Tippi Hedrin, and Janet Leigh. And, our group included two.” She smiled back at JJ.

“With the majority of the population of this island being descended from the indigenous peoples of the area,” Reid pointed out. “Blonds are a rarity, and Stephen Wright saw an opportunity to improve the authenticity of his recreations.”

“We assume that is why, last night, he collected Danny Klein and headed for the Star Lodge. He was hoping he could lure either JJ or Garcia out of the building and into his trap. Thankfully, our women are far too smart for that!”” Morgan flashed a smile at Garcia. “Garcia and Nancy Wolf got suspicious when he began banging on the door asking them to let him into the Lodge. And, when he attempted to grab Garcia, they grabbed him instead.”

“As you all know, Stephen Wright is currently on his way to the mainland where he will be tried for murder,” Rossi told the Troopers. “Danny Klein is also on the boat and he also will be turned over to the authorities.”

“Any questions?”


	42. What Doesn't Kill You

As the BAU team was busily packing up their materials to head back to Quantico, Father Michael entered the building. “Father,” Rossi walked over to greet the priest.

“Agent Rossi,” the priest sadly shook his head and then looked into the agent’s eyes. “Do you believe that true evil exists in this world?”

Rossi looked back at him. “Yes,” he replied seriously. “In more forms and variations that you and I can ever imagine. And, the more we battle it, the worse it seems to get.”

“What happens to Danny now??” the priest inquired.

“That’s up to the authorities,” Rossi explained. “However, as far as we can determine, Danny didn’t actually commit any of the murders. He was just an accessory after the fact. Like everyone else, he trusted Stephen Wright. I’m sure all that will be taken into consideration before a final decision is made.”

“His parents are good people,” the priest reported. “This is going to kill them.”

“Or, make them stronger,” Rossi suggested.


	43. Leave Taking

Later that afternoon the BAU team, along with several of the Troopers, stood on the wharf watching as their gear was loaded onto the floatplane taking them to Anchorage.

“I still don’t believe that Captain Wright was the unsub. He always seemed to reflect all the best qualities we look for in an Alaskan State Trooper,” Sergeant Moore told them.

“That’s also what made him such a threat,” Morgan explained. “He knew just how to work the system.”

“And, that’s why the victims all trusted him,” Blake pointed out.

Brisk footsteps on the dock caused everyone to turn and look towards the shore where they saw Father Michael approaching them. “I heard you were leaving,” he said. “I wanted to say ‘Thank You’ and, if it is alright, I would like to give you a blessing for safe trip home.”

“You’re welcome,” Hotch assured him.

Rossi smiled at the priest. “And, a blessing definitely won’t hurt.”

As the team stood quietly, the priest intoned the ancient words spoken for centuries blessing explorers as they set out into the unknown. When the priest finished, even Reid joined in the “Amen”.

“Well, it looks like all your gear is loaded,” Sergeant Moore observed after the priest had finished. “I guess it’s time for me to say ‘Good-By’ and ‘Thanks’.”

“Our pleasure,” Hotch assured him, shaking hands. 

“If you ever need us again, be sure to call,” JJ added.

As the team headed down the dock toward the floatplane, Father Michael suddenly called out, “Agent Rossi?”

Rossi turned to look back at the priest. “Yes?” he asked, surprised.

Father Michael looked at him seriously. “It’s probably none of my business,” he said. “But, whoever she is, I recommend you ask yourself one question.”

“That is?” Rossi was puzzled, but interested.

“Is she a good person?” Father Michael asked. “Inside as well as out. And, will she remain a good person, no matter what. Once you answer that question, you will have your answer.”

Rossi nodded thoughtfully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay - I'm coming down the home stretch here and I promise I haven't forgotten about the surprise I have planned for Agent Hotchner!


	44. Mutany

Early the next morning, Aaron Hotchner looked around the gate area at the Anchorage airport to make sure the entire team was present. “It appears our plane is here and the pilot is cleared for takeoff,” he told them. “If everyone is ready – “

Morgan took a step towards him and spoke up. “Sorry, man. But I won’t be going with you.”

Hotchner stared at him. “Excuse me?”

Garcia moved to stand next to him. “Me either. I need a break!” she declared emphatically.

Hotch stared at both of them. “You’re going to be staying here?” he asked, shocked. He looked at the rest of the team. “Anyone else?”

Reid moved to join Morgan and Garcia. “I’m staying, too,” he told Hotch. “We have been working cases and doing consults without a break for three months, two weeks, and four days. Enough is enough. I need a break!”

Rossi joined the rebellion. “Count me in,” he declared. “I need to clear my head with some sea air.”

Hotchner was stunned. “I can relate to needing a break,” he told them. “But, here and now?”

Morgan smiled. “We have contacted the cruise line,” he explained. “The Lady Elizabeth is currently docked here in Anchorage, and the line is willing to let us back on as paying passengers. Our cabins are ready and waiting for us.”

“With the storms having moved though,” Reid continued. “The prediction is for clear sailing all the way back to Seattle.”

Garcia hesitated a moment before asking. “You wouldn’t want to join us, would you, Sir?”

Hotch briefly considered it. “As tempting as it sounds,” he told her. “I need to get home to Jack. And, someone will have to deal with Strauss.”

“We all e-mailed our case reports and our vacation requests to her early this morning,” Rossi informed him. “If she doesn’t like it – Well – I will deal with her when I get back!” he ended with a smirk.

Hotch looked around at the rest of the team. “JJ?? Blake??”

JJ smiled sadly. “As much as I would like to, I’m like you, Hotch. I have to get back to Henry and Will.”

“As tempting as it sounds, I have a series of lectures scheduled and I need time to prepare. Maybe next time,” Blake told him.

“Well, it seems the three of us are leaving by ourselves,” Hotch conceded. “I’ll see everyone else in Quantico in a week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hang on - There is a little bit more on the way -
> 
> Also, For the purists who are going to tell me that cruise ships don't dock in Anchorage, I would like to point out that HAL's Amsterdam did dock there on a regular basis during the 2012 cruise season, and it is scheduled to dock there again during the 2014 season.


	45. Reunion

Amanda and Lena were sitting at a table in the pool area enjoying an afternoon snack and laughing as they discussed their day’s adventures in Anchorage, when they heard the sound of a suitcase rolling over the decking. They looked up and saw Garcia headed in their direction, pulling her suitcase.

“Is that offer to share your cabin is still open?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Penelope!” Amanda exclaimed, jumping up. “Of course it is! I’ll talk to our room steward right away and get you set up. The three of us can have a real girls’ night out – or in – or whatever! Whatever you and Lena want! This is going to be great!”

Morgan casually strolled up behind Garcia. “I hope there is room for someone else to join you,” he suggested with a smile.

Lena looked at him, dazed. “Oh! It’s you!” was all she could manage.

“Always room for one more!” Amanda crowed. “Although, our cabin might be a little crowded with four people in it.”

“Not to worry,” Morgan assured her. “The cruise line has located a cabin for us to use as we travel back to Seattle with you – And Lena, too - Of course.”

“Of course,” Amanda smiled knowingly. She walked over and gave Morgan a hug. “Welcome Aboard!”

She stepped back and looked up at him as his comment registered. “Us??”

Reid stepped out from behind Morgan. “Um-m-m, yes. I’m back, too,” he explained.

“Dr. Reid!” Amanda was clearly thrilled. 

“You do realize that since you’re here you will have to submit to an occasional hug from me,” she informed the young agent as she moved to hug him. 

Reid hesitated and then shyly replied, “It’s Reid or Spencer. I’m on vacation. And, yes, I’m sure I can adjust.”

Amanda was obviously delighted with his response. “Great!” she told him. Then she continued, “Since I am sure you growing boys are hungry, why don’t you make a quick trip to your cabin to leave your bags. I’ll get Penelope settled in our cabin, and then we can meet back here for some lunch. In half an hour, maybe??”

“Since the average male reaches his full growth size at approximately 23 years of age,” Reid began. “I think I can safely say both Morgan and I have finished growing. However, since hunger at this stage is unrelated to growth – “

Morgan looked at his teammate, “Reid?”

Reid looked embarrassed as he replied, “Oh - Sorry!”

Amanda heard a sound behind her and turned around to discover Rossi standing there, smiling. “Is there room here for one more?” he asked innocently.

Amanda’s mouth fell open as all she managed to say was, “Dave - You came back!”

Rossi smiled. “Was there ever any doubt?”


	46. Evening With The BAU

The evening hours found each member of the BAU team busy with their own pursuits.

In the Crow’s Nest Pub, Reid and Garcia, having teamed up with a couple from Australia, were playing and winning the evening trivia contest organized by the Cruise Director. Cheers from the onlookers greeted every right answer and, at the end of the round, all four team members were proud owners of insulated coffee mugs. Reid was planning to take his to work to display on his desk, while Garcia was planning to use hers to make Kevin jealous.

In the piano bar, Rossi and Amanda were slow dancing to the pianist’s rendition of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Nat King Cole. Rossi was glad he had taken Father Fedorova’s advice. He knew he had found someone who had proven that she was and would remain a truly good person, inside and out.

Outside, on deck, Morgan and Lena were holding hands as they slowly walked and talked their way around the ship. The long twilight hours in the far north at that time of the year made it easy to watch the ocean and, further off, the shore as it passed by. They both knew Lena would be going back to classes in a few weeks, and were enjoying the time they had to spend with each other. 

At the Hotchner apartment in Quantico, Hotch and Jack were curled up on Aaron’s bed reading a bedtime story. After Jack had finally fallen asleep, Hotch sat for a while quietly watching him. He smiled as he thought of how grateful he was for his son.

At Blake’s home, she was sitting in her den with several of her grad students, drinking wine and going over lecture notes. As the laughter grew louder, she wished her husband could be there to join them, but she knew he was busy pursuing his dream, and was glad she was a part of it.

In the LaMontagne family room, JJ, Will, and Henry were busy watching a movie, eating popcorn, and laughing. It was long past Henry’s bedtime, but with everyone home at the same time on a weeknight for a change, Will and JJ had elected to bend the rules this once and enjoy some family time.

Erin Straus was sitting at the desk in her den going over BAU paperwork. The bottle of scotch and a glass were within easy reach. It appeared that SSA Aaron Hotchner was having a personnel problem, and that the opportunity to finally put him in his place had at long last arrived. She poured herself another drink. It was going to be long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought Rossi could use some lovin' other than Strauss - Anyone agree with me?
> 
> Comments on the story???


End file.
